Sawt Falasteen - Starc on fire as England slump to 105-4 at lunch in Ashes opener

Batting after captain Ben Stokes won the toss on a fine morning, the visitors stumbled to 105-4 at lunch with Joe Root out for a duck on a lively wicket.

Harry Brook was not-out 28 and Stokes on four in front of a packed Perth Stadium where England's Barmy Army were out in force. Ollie Pope offered some resistance with a plucky 46.

Starc took 3-24 off eight overs as he ably shouldered the extra burden of an attack missing injured long-time partners Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood.

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.

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

H.Jarrar--SF-PST