Australia beats England as Mitchell Starc and Travis Head turn match while English batters fail badly including Joe Root, Zac Crawley, best players, player ratings, Optus Stadium in Perth

Alex Carey- Although he was carelessly dismissed, he top-scored with 26 first-inning runs, the most difficult to come by. The jury is still out on how England will deal with its rapid-fire moves after being hit over the head in the Caribbean. The pressure eased somewhat after Australia’s victory. It has surpassed its high standards and is still an important cog in the abundantly green machine. 7/10

Mitchell Starc The 35-year-old man is aging like a fine wine. He has now produced career-best figures in each of his last two Tests. In the absence of Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, Starc stepped up to lead the pace with arguably his best performance on the lush green. Australia cannot win this match without 10 wickets, including precious scalps from Joe Root and Ben Stokes, as the home side struggle on Saturday. A player worthy of the player of the match award. 10/10

Nathan Lyon- He is a difficult player to evaluate because the conditions and the hip pain suffered while batting meant Australia’s experienced spinner was limited to just two overs. There are whispers that the landlords are strongly considering dropping him for Beau Webster, but given their lack of experience with him out, it would be a bold move if they did so. This is no knock on the ‘GOAT’, but would Australia be better off with an all-pace attack if more tempo-friendly pitches were produced? 2/10

Scott Boland- The cult hero showed he could fire at England’s ‘Bazballers’ by bouncing back from the initial shock after lunch on the second day to produce a sharp, game-changing spell. Boland was rewarded for pulling back some length, capturing the wickets of dangerous duo Ben Duckett and Harry Brook. England will attack him hard again in Brisbane but Boland has a solid place in the series and knows he has the playing ability to thwart the visitors. 8/10

Brendan Doggett- Australia’s other debutant has more than paid his dues with a mature performance on the big stage. He didn’t let the situation overwhelm him and helped clear the tail in both shots, which was important in a low-scoring game. Unless Pat Cummins can prove his fitness, he will be needed again at the Gabba. 7/10

England

Zak Crawley- A couple for England’s boom-or-bust opener, who failed to see the first over in either innings and was twice dismissed by Starc. Australia’s pacers will target him again, confident that he does not have the discipline to hold back his game beyond driving distance in Brisbane. He has some things to do. 0/10

Ben Duckett- There were some moments in the dynamic opening but it was far from comfortable with the extra speed and bounce on the spicy surface. He won his battle against Boland on the first day, but the Victorian hit back hard on the second day, gnawing him and delivering a blow to his arm. Points 21 and 28 are passes in a low-scoring game. 5/10

Ollie Papa – England’s No.3 went into the series as his side’s weakest link on paper but left Perth as his team’s top scorer. He has tried his luck with a lot of swings and misses, especially in the second innings, so he is at risk of regressing to the mean in the coming Tests. England needed him to kick at least once but he found a way when others couldn’t. 7/10

Joe Root – The wait continues for the England great for his first Test century on Australian soil. Triple figures were a big question on this court but with injuries to Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood and him taking a good lead by marking his guard in the second inning, the conditions were in his favor to make a big impact. He didn’t. 1/10

Harry Brook- England’s wunderkind summed up the best and worst of “Bazball”. His counter-attacking half-century on the first day was crucial for his side to post a competitive total, but his over-the-top lunge to Boland was like a brainless ‘Basball’. His fight with Boland, whose natural line and length bother Brook, is crucial to the course of this series. 6.5/10

Ben Stokes- The England captain twice failed with the bat and twice fell victim to Starc’s golden arm. This is a worrying situation for a player who has struggled to hit the ball in the last two years. There was a devastating five-wicket haul in between when Jofra capitalized after Archer had softened up Australia’s line-up. Stokes’ biggest task heading into the second Test is to boost his team’s morale after this demoralizing defeat. 6.5/10

Jamie Smith- It was the OK Ashes debut for the wicketkeeper, who is reliable with gloves and handy with the bat. However, England need to rethink how they bat with their tails off. Trying to take the short ball over Australia’s long overs is not a recipe for success. 5/10

Gus Atkinson- This wasn’t the best start to his Ashes career. He showed mettle with the bat to score useful runs in the second innings but was left wicketless after 21 overs. He was one of the few to feel the wrath of Travis Head when play got out of hand in the run chase. It is not certain that he will retain his place in Brisbane. 3/10

Brydon Carse This man is a competitor who is not afraid to get into the Aussies grid. Even though the case was lost, Carse continued to fight. He also put up a tough fight with the bat when Australia bombarded him with bumper bombardments. He can hold his head up. 6/10

Jofra Archer – The demon pacer was instrumental in England’s first-day campaign with his terrifying spell with the new ball. Bowling regularly in the top 140s, Archer shook up Australia’s top order and made them soft for his teammates. He wasn’t as fast or threatening on the second day as he needed to lift his feet instead of getting fat again. 7/10

Mark Wood – England’s fastest bowler added to the fear factor, but was wicketless and bowled just 11 overs. He is central to the visitors’ hopes of winning in Australia, but his full value will not be realized unless England can bat for longer to give their bowlers time to rest. His low workload for this match means he doesn’t need to sit out the Gabba. 3/10

Sports news, results and expert comments. Sign up for our sports newsletter.