Joe Root out for 7-ball duck as Mitchell Starc runs riot in Ashes opener; record goes from bad to worse

Joe Root, who entered the Ashes with a questionable record in Australia, departed back to the hut for a seven-ball duck in Perth.

Joe Root, inarguably the best Test batter in the past four to five years, entered the Ashes 2025-26 with a monkey on his back, and that being his below-par record in Australia. The long-time England No.4 is yet to score a century Down Under, and to no one's surprise, all the chatter has been about the 34-year-old and whether he can break the drought in the five-match series this time around. However, the right-hander got off to a horrific start at the Optus Stadium in Perth on the opening day of the series as he was sent back to the pavilion by Mitchell Starc.

Joe Root dismissed for a seven-ball duck in the first innings of the first Ashes Test. (AP)

The left-arm seamer dismissed Root for a duck, and the legendary batter's innings lasted just seven balls in the first innings of the first Test. With the dismissal of Root, Starc completed 100 wickets in Ashes Tests, becoming the 21st bowler overall and the first left-arm seamer to get to the milestone. His strike rate of 44.8 is the best ever among all the 21 bowlers who have taken 100 or more wickets in the Ashes.

Speaking of the Root dismissal, the ball that pitched on the leg-stump, seaming way to open Root up in his stance.

The right-handed batter jabbed at the ball with a closed bat face only to get a thick outside edge. The ball flew to the third slip, and Marnus Labuschagne got low, trying to take the catch near his chest.

However, the ball popped out a bit, but he managed to maintain balance and complete the catch.

Starc steps up

Earlier, Starc had dismissed England's openers Zak Crawley (0) and Ben Duckett (21) after England opted to bat first. The left-arm pacer stepped up for Australia in the absence of Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood.

Scott Boland was erratic to start off with the new ball; however, Starc ensured he was right on the money, not giving an inch to the opposition and setting the tone for the hosts after being asked to bowl first by England.

At the toss, Australia's stand-in captain Smith said, “I would have had a bat as well. Hopefully it seams all over the place this morning. I think the cracks will come into play; they seem to every year. That was probably the rationale behind batting first. If we get the ball in the right areas this morning, there’ll definitely be enough in it.”

“Obviously, Cummins and Hazlewood are big losses, but we’ve got to deal with what we’ve got. We’ve still got a couple of quality performers. Scott Boland, every time he’s had an opportunity, he’s been outstanding. And Brendan Doggett’s been amazing in Shield cricket for the last few years; he fully deserves this opportunity. I’m looking forward to seeing those guys go about their business today,” he added.