Cricket news: England must overcome woeful Perth record if they are to regain Ashes from Australia
England begin their campaign to regain the Ashes for the first time since 2015 in just under a month’s time, with the opening match against Australia set for Optus Stadium in Perth.
Despite coming into the series with confidence after a battling 2-2 draw with India over the summer, the visitors may find it difficult to start the five-Test showdown off on the right foot.
Here, Sports News Blitz writer Oliver Shorland takes a look at England’s woeful record in Western Australia.
Solitary success
To give you the short of it, England’s record in Western Australia has seen them win just once since 1978.
That sole victory came as part of a 5-1 series thrashing for Mike Brearley’s tourists against a depleted Australia, many of whose stars were playing in the 1978/79 edition of World Series Cricket.
Led by Geoff Boycott and David Gower, who scored 100 and 114 respectively, England dispatched an Australian side that was, by their captain’s own admission, unable to compete.
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Venue change
This will be the first time an Ashes Test is held at Optus Stadium, which had been pencilled in to host a game in the 2021/22 series before the fixture was removed due to Covid-19 restrictions.
That won’t bother England, however, who will be glad to see the back of the WACA – a ground where the pitch is often considered the fastest and bounciest in the world.
Joe Root, meanwhile, is the only member of the current squad to have played in England’s last visit to the West Coast of Australia during the 2017/18 Ashes, when Steve Smith’s unbeaten 239 helped seal the series for the hosts.
Smith’s score was the highest individual score in all Ashes Tests contested at the WACA and compared favourably to Chris Broad’s English record of 162, achieved in 1986 as part of a 2-1 series triumph for the tourists.
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Tough task
Another memorable City of Light meeting between these two sides came in 2006.
Adam Gilchrist scored the fastest century in Ashes history, blasting 24 of his 102 runs in one over as he used the strong sea breeze to carry the ball over the boundary rope.
That Third test would later be closed out by Shane Warne, with the legendary spinner taking four wickets in England’s second innings to reach 699 Test wickets.
A career milestone of 700 wickets was subsequently claimed in Melbourne on Boxing Day.
Ultimately, although Optus Stadium may put England’s batsmen somewhat at ease, the pitch will still be more than quick enough to cause Ben Stokes and co. a problem or two as they look to get their Ashes campaign off to a fast start.
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