Former Indian cricketers Ravichandran Ashwin and Aakash Chopra took a dig at the Perth stadium pitch curators after a record 19 wickets fell on Day 1 of the first Ashes Test on Friday, November 21.
On an action-packed Ashes opener, fast bowlers dominated the proceedings at the fast-paced surface as Mitchell Starc and Ben Stokes took five-wicket hauls each, with speedsters taking the other seven too.
19 wickets on the opening day in Perth are the most wickets to fall on Day 1 of an Ashes series, going past the 18 that fell on the opening day of the one-off Ashes Test at Sydney in 1888 and also on the first day of the 1896 Lord's Test, which was also the first of the three-match series.
Meanwhile, Indian spin icon Ashwin took a dig at the pitch curators after a few former England players had criticised the Kolkata pitch that saw 11 wickets fall on the opening day.
"Only 19 wickets fell at Perth today, but an excellent days cricket. Oh no! What if the same happens tomorrow in Guwahati?" Ashwin wrote on a social media post.
Meanwhile, Chopra also went behind the Perth curators, hitting them out with a 'hypocrisy' remark. "Make that 19 wickets. Such an ‘outcome’ on a subcontinental pitch would’ve meant the death of Test cricket. Peak hypocrisy?? Again, maintaining that I’m only following the score…haven’t watched the game. That’s why used the word 'outcome'," Chopra wrote in his social media post.
Meanwhile, Karthik also took a dig, stating, "Is it fair to say people like to see pacers picking plenty of wickets on spicy pitches than spinners on a turning pitch. And if that’s the case. WHY????"
Meanwhile, the Ashes opener saw a record-breaking opening day in Perth. This was the first time in 116 years that the opening day of an Ashes Test saw 18 or more wickets falling down.
The last time this happened was way back in 1909, when both Australia and England were bowled out at the Old Trafford Test on the first day.
Meanwhile, 19 wickets to fall on the opening day are also the most in the last 100 years, with 17 wickets going down in the 2001 Trent Bridge Test and the 2005 Lord's Test.
Most wickets on the opening day of an Ashes Test in the last 100 years:
19 Perth Stadium 2025 (Eng 10, Aus 9)
17 Trent Bridge 2001 (Eng 10, Aus 7)
17 Lord’s 2005 (Aus 10, Eng 7)
