Starc takes a career-best 7 wickets as Australia dismisses England for 172 on Day 1 of the Ashes
Perth (AP): Mitchell Starc took a career-best 7-58 as Australia bundled England out for 172 despite losing the toss Friday in the Ashes cricket series opener.
Starc took a wicket in the first over of a test for the 24th time to set the tone, having Zac Crawley caught at slip by Usman Khawaja on the sixth delivery before England had scored a run.
The 35-year-old left-armer snared three wickets in his first five overs, picking up his 100th career wicket, and had England in trouble at 105 for four at lunch on Day 1.
He took four more after the interval, including the key wicket of Ben Stokes, as England lost six wickets for 67 runs after lunch — the last five wickets tumbling for 12 runs to be all out in the second session.
Ben Duckett (21) was punishing an off-rhythm Scott Boland's half-volleys at the other end to keep the runs flowing, punching four boundaries down the ground, before Starc trapped him lbw in the seventh over with a full-length ball.
Duckett reviewed the decision but tracking technology confirmed the umpire's decision and England was 33-2.
Joe Root, the No. 1-ranked test batter but still searching for his first Ashes century in Australia, faced seven balls before he nicked Starc to Marnus Labuschagne at third slip for a duck and England slumped to 39-3.
The key dismissal gave Starc his 100th Ashes wicket, at an average of 26.65, and gave Australia the ascendancy after England won the toss and batted.
A 55-run stand between Ollie Pope (46) and Harry Brook (52) gave England some momentum before allrounder Cameron Green (1-10) struck at the end of his first over of bowling in a test match since 2023.
Green trapped Pope lbw and again England reviewed the decision, which was upheld by the TV umpire using tracking technology.
England's attacking intent kept with the “ Bazball ” method under Brendon McCullum's coaching, aiming to score quickly and make the bowlers wilt.
The team batting first has won all five tests played at Perth Stadium — which replaced the WACA as the Western Australian capital's test venue — and that was a heavy factor in Stokes deciding to go against his preferred option of bowling first and chasing.
The English, trying to win a test in Australia for the first time since 2010-11, opted for an all-pace attack led by Jofra Archer and 35-year-old Mark Wood.
Australia has won 13 and drawn two of its last 15 Ashes tests in Australia.
Regular skipper Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood are missing the first test because of injuries, opening the way for Brendan Doggett to make his test debut and become the third Indigenous Australian man to play test cricket.
Doggett bowled alongside Boland, making it the first time two Indigenous Australians have played in the same test lineup. He troubled Pope in his first over and made a vital breakthrough in his sixth to have Brook caught behind, cramped for room and gloving a short-pitch ball down legside.
Doggett also troubled Brydon Carse (6) with short-pitch bowling before getting his wicket, caught in the outfield by Marnus Labuschagne.
Starc, who picked up his fifth five-wicket haul in the Ashes when he had Gus Atkinson caught at slip by Steve Smith, picked off the last two wickets on consecutive balls to remove Jamie Smith (33) and Mark Wood (0).
He'll start the next innings on a hat-trick.
“Nice way to start a series,” Starc said. “There's been a lot made about the (Cummins and Hazlewood) being not here and I guess me being an experienced one, so nice to lead that way.”
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Screenwriter Salim Khan on ventilator support and stable, say doctors
Mumbai (PTI): Veteran screenwriter Salim Khan suffered a brain haemorrhage which has been tackled, is on ventilator support as a safeguard and stable, doctors treating him said on Wednesday, a day after he was admitted to the Lilavati Hospital here.
The 90-year-old, one half of the celebrated Salim-Javed duo which scripted films such as "Sholay", "Deewar" and "Don" with Javed Akhtar, is in the ICU and recovery might take some time given his age.
"His blood pressure was high for which we treated him and we had to put him on a ventilator because we wanted to do certain investigations. Now the ventilator was put as a safeguard so that his situation doesn't get worse. So it is not that he is critical," Dr Jalil Parkar told reporters.
"We did the investigations that were required and today we have done a small procedure on him, I will not go into the details. The procedure done is called DSA (digital subtraction angiography). The procedure has been accomplished, he is fine and stable and shifted back to ICU. By tomorrow, we hope to get him off the ventilator. All in all, he is doing quite well," he added.
Asked whether he suffered a brain haemorrhage, the doctor said, "Unko thoda haemorrhage hua tha, which we’ve tackled. No surgery is required.
As concern over Khan's health mounted, his children, including superstar Salman Khan and Arbaaz Khan, daughter Alvira, and sons-in-law Atul Agnihotri and Aayush Sharma, have been seen outside the hospital along with other well-wishers. His long-time partner Akhtar was also seen coming out of the hospital.
Khan, a household name in the 70s and 80s, turned 90 on November 24 last year. It was the day Dharmendra, the star of many of his films, including "Sholay", "Seeta aur Geeta" and "Yaadon Ki Baraat", passed away.
Hailing from an affluent family in Indore, Khan arrived in Mumbai in his 20s with dreams of stardom. He was good looking and confident he would make a mark in the industry as an actor. But that did not happen. And then, after struggling for close to a decade and getting confined to small roles in films, he changed lanes.
He worked as an assistant to Abrar Alvi and soon met Akhtar to form one of Hindi cinema's most formidable writing partnerships. They worked together on two dozen movies with most of them achieving blockbuster status.
Other than "Sholay", "Deewar" and "Don", Khan and Akhtar also penned "Trishul", "Zanjeer", "Seeta Aur Geeta", "Haathi Mere Saathi", "Yaadon Ki Baarat" and "Mr India".
