Stokes leads fightback after Starc's seven as 19 wickets fall in Ashes

PERTH :Australia trailed England by 49 runs on 123-9 at the end of an extraordinary opening day of the Ashes series on Friday at Perth Stadium, where bowlers had very much the upper hand and a remarkable 19 wickets fell.

Mitchell Starc, spearheading the home attack in the absence of the injured Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, took a career-best 7-58 as Australia dismissed the tourists for 172 before tea.

The large visiting contingent in the crowd of 51,531 were soon in full voice, however, as England skipper Ben Stokes led a pace counter-offensive to rip through the Australian batting order and claim his own five-wicket haul with figures of 5-23.

Nathan Lyon, who was three not out, and debutant quick Brendan Doggett, who had yet to score, will resume on day two looking to cut a few more runs off the deficit.

"What a day. I think everyone that's come today has got their time worth - 19 wickets," England seamer Brydon Carse said in a pitch-side interview. "Fantastic last session from everyone to put us in a strong position heading into tomorrow."

ACTION-PACKED OPENING DAY

The action-packed opening day, which saw more wickets fall on any single day of an Ashes test since 1909, evoked memories of the first day of last year's test between Australia and India at the same stadium when 17 first-day wickets fell.

After opting to bat first, England were stunned in the opening over when Zak Crawley was tempted into a drive by an angled Starc delivery, which edged to first slip, and departed for a duck.

Starc followed up by trapping Ben Duckett leg-before with a full inswinger for 21.

His 100th Ashes wicket came when he had Joe Root, looking nowhere near scoring his first test hundred Down Under, out for nought to a ball that found Marnus