Last week’s Perth Test was the shortest Ashes contest in 137 years, but “batting error” and “excellent bowling” was to blame for the two-day affair rather than unfair conditions, according to Australian coach Andrew McDonald.
The series opener at Perth Stadium only lasted 31 hours with 847 deliveries, making it the quickest Test match on Australian soil since 1932. Speaking to reporters ahead of the first Test, Perth curator Isaac McDonald predicted the deck would provide “pace and bounce” early in the contest with cracks present later in the game.
“What I’ve really knuckled down this preparation is ensuring the pace and bounce is spot on for day one, to ensure an even battle,” he told reporters.
McDonald struck true to his word, with the Perth surface offering plenty of bounce with a touch of lateral movement present for the seamers. However, the conditions weren’t to blame for the 19 wickets that fell on day one, rather some questionable batting and superb bowling from the likes of Mitchell Starc and Jofra Archer.
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England batters Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope and Harry Brook each edged towards the slips cordon after attempting reckless drives on the up with a diagonal bat, as did Australian all-rounder Cameron Green, while wicketkeepers Jamie Smith and Alex Carey were both guilty of needlessly attacking short deliveries they could have left alone.
Each of Brendan Doggett’s five wickets in the match came from bouncers, with England’s batters falling into an obvious trap by attacking bumpers with a cluster of boundary riders on the leg side. Travis Head’s soft first-innings dismissal was also due to a regrettable stroke, not the surface.
“There was a lot of error on day one from the batters, which the bowling units were able to pounce on,” Australian coach McDonald told reporters on Monday morning.
“I think it was a nervous start for both teams, a lot of nervous energy and the errors crept in. Some of the decision-making, I think both batting units if they had the time again would take it back. There was some excellent bowling too.
“Sometimes it is hard to make sense as to why the decisions are made in certain moments and you really put it down to pressure.”
Aussies claim First Test on day two! | 05:08
Shortest completed Ashes Tests by deliveries
788 — Manchester, August 1888
792 — Lord’s, July 1888
847 — Perth, November 2025
911 — Sydney, February 1895
Former Indian cricketers Ravichandran Ashwin, Dinesh Karthi and Aakash Chopra pointed out the subcontinent’s spin-friendly pitches have come under scrutiny following short Test matches, accusing Australian and English pundits of hypocrisy.
Commentator Harsha Bhogle tweeted: “There were 60000 people expected in Perth today. They would have looked forward to a great Sunday for weeks. Even if the batting was unusually frenetic, and the game was extraordinarily gripping, a track that allows a game to end in 2 days isn’t fair to the stakeholders of the game.”
But as shown by Australia’s second innings, when the hosts chased a 205-run target in 28.2 overs with eight wickets in hand, the Perth pitch had seemingly settled by the end of day two, suggesting a fair balance between bat and ball.
McDonald claimed the pitch was considerably less volatile than the surface from last summer’s Border-Gavaskar Trophy at the same venue, when 17 wickets fell on day one. Less than 48 hours later, Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and superstar Virat Kohli each cracked hundreds as the deck flattened.
“There was a little bit of extra bounce, that always challenges batters,” McDonald continued.
“I don’t think it was a surface that leant itself to 19 wickets on day one of a Test match.
“We saw 17 wickets last year. I think that wicket had a lot more in it, so I think this one was a truer surface.”
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England’s two innings lasted 67.5 overs, the fastest the nation has been bowled out twice in a Test match since 1904. McDonald confessed he wasn’t surprised by England’s aggressive approach to batting, adding it’s become the norm for the Ashes rivals since Brendon McCullum took charge of the team in 2022.
”We weren’t surprised at the way they went about it,” he said.
“For those that have followed England over a period of time, it was probably predictable in the way they wanted to put pressure on us.
“I don’t know whether for the fans out there it made a lot of sense to them, but they have been playing that way over a period of time.”
The second Ashes Test between Australia and England gets underway at the Gabba on December 4.
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