The China Mail - Starc takes seven as England rolled for 172 in Ashes opener

Batting after captain Ben Stokes won the toss on a fine day at a packed Perth Stadium, the visitors had few answers to the 35-year-old wreaking ball.

His haul came off 12.5 overs with debutant Brendan Doggett chipping in with 2-27.

Harry Brook (52) and Ollie Pope (46) offered the only resistance as England crumbled after lunch.

Starc bagged three wickets in an intimidating opening spell, including Joe Root for a duck, before returning to send Stokes packing in his first over after the break, then mopping up.

All five previous Tests at the venue have been won by the side batting first, but England did their best to challenge that.

They got off to a horror start, rocked in the opening over after Starc was handed the new ball in his 101st Test.

The veteran strike weapon delivered as he has so many times before, enticing a thick edge from Zak Crawley that Usman Khawaja did well to collect down low at slip, the opener gone for nought.

Starc has now taken a wicket in the first over of an innings 24 times.

At the other end Ben Duckett settled his nerves with a textbook drive off Scott Boland to bank the first four of the series and followed it up with another in the same over.

But just as the left-hander was getting going, Starc pounced again, trapping him lbw for 21 to leave England tottering on 33-2.

That brought Root to the crease in his latest campaign for an elusive first century in Australia.

But he only lasted seven balls, edging a seaming delivery into the safe hands of Marnus Labuschagne at third slip.

Pope survived the furnace and was composed before Cameron Green was brought into the attack and he was out lbw, leaving them on 105-4 at lunch.

Brook hit Boland for a six in the first over after the break before Starc again worked his magic, taking out Stokes's stumps with an inswinger when the captain was on six.

A fearless Brook was unperturbed and raced to his 14th Test half-century, off 58 balls, before feathering a short ball to Alex Carey, earning Doggett his maiden Test wicket on debut.

Starc then removed Gus Atkinson (one) with Steve Smith collecting at slip to give him the 17th five-wicket haul of his career.

Doggett and Starc ruthlessly wrapped up the tail with little resistance.

England, who have not won a series in Australia for 15 years, opted for an all-pace attack with spinner Shoaib Bashir missing out.

D.Pan--ThChM