A staggering 19 wickets fall on day one of the first Test at Optus Stadium in Perth, sending shockwaves through Australia as the England bowlers and Ben Stokes roar

Mitchell Starc put on a brave face as he defended his team’s effort with the bat, but the confidence of national coach Andrew McDonald and his brains need all the duct tape they can get to get their fragile batting line-up back together.

The home side’s “Dad’s Army” first seven looked every bit their age and limped to 9/123. England’s modest 172 is just a dot on the horizon.

England’s speedsters were ruthless, landing blows on both Australia’s batsmen and the scoreboard.

Smith, who was brought down by Archer in the 2019 Ashes, was hit again by England’s demonic quickness, who hit 149.3kph, this time with a blow to his gloves that required treatment. Smith also hit the elbow of Gus Atkinson, who was shot into the net several times.

Marnus Labuschagne battled from injury to insult as he battled to make it nine over nearly 90 minutes, rubbing his elbow as he made his way back to the pavilion after Archer’s 144.2km/h bullet deflected off his arm and lodged in the stumps.

But with less than a month to his 39th birthday, the darkest clouds are looming over veteran Usman Khawaja, who does not inspire confidence that he can handle such high-speed bowling.

Khawaja tried to fend off concerns about his performance against India last summer by saying he had clearly been “Bumrahed” and his reflexes were being tested again. When he was rushed by Brydon Carse, he was unable to move his bat out of the way in time to avoid hitting the feather of a searing lifter.

Vaughan called on Australia to dump Khawaja and recall Marsh, whom his teammates call “Bison” for his physique but whose bull-at-the-wicket approach would add spark to the top order who can neither bat for survival nor get off the scoreboard. Australia’s run rate was below two when Khawaja fell to 4-31.

“England are quite happy to bowl to these two [Khawaja and Labuschagne] “Because they don’t think the game is going to progress,” said Vaughan, a commentator for Kayo Sports, which broadcasts the Ashes series.

“This attack will make Australia feel like they can hurt them at the top. Bring in Smith a little sooner, [and] There’s a lot of pressure on him.

“We saw this last year when the events against India unfolded and there was a huge crisis. If I were Australia, I would have looked at Usman.”

Marsh has not worn the baggy green since it was abandoned after last year’s Boxing Day Test, but has an excellent record against England with an average of 47, including three centuries.

“Someone like Mitch Marsh, they don’t want to see him go out to bat,” Vaughan said. “He’s a free spirit, he can get on the front foot and bowl. The right-hand and left-hand combination is something top-order bowlers don’t like.”

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Starc, who spearheaded Australia’s early attack with the ball with career-best figures of 7-58, credited England’s skill with the ball rather than his team-mates’ troubles with the bat for the collapse.

“It’s moving quickly; it’s happening quickly,” Starc said. “I thought both teams bowled pretty well for 19 wickets. We often sit here and say it’s wicket or strike, but I think both teams bowled really well. We know England want to be aggressive and that creates opportunities.

“Obviously they’ve come with an extra-paced approach. Extra airspeed will create some concerns or exciting things, but it’s not the be-all and end-all.”