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 – He top-scored with 26 first-innings runs when they were hardest to come by, though his dismissal was careless. The jury is still out on how he will cope against England’s express quicks after being struck in the head in the Caribbean. The pressure is slightly off after Australia’s victory. He maintained his high standards behind the stumps and is still an important cog in the baggy green machine. 7/10

Mitchell Starc – The 35-year-old is ageing like a fine wine. Has now produced career-best figures in each of his past two Tests. In the absence of Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, Starc stepped up to be the pace spearhead in arguably his finest performance in the baggy green. Australia do not win this game without his 10 wickets, including the prized scalps of Joe Root and Ben Stokes when the hosts fought back on Saturday. He’s a worthy winner of the player of the match award. 10/10

Nathan Lyon – He’s a hard one to assess because the conditions – and a sore hip from being struck while batting – meant Australia’s veteran spinner was limited to just two overs. There are whispers the hosts strongly considered leaving him out for Beau Webster, though it would have been a bold move if they did, given the lack of experience remaining with him out. This is no knock on “the GOAT”, but if more pace-friendly pitches are produced, would Australia be better with an all-pace attack? 2/10

Scott Boland – The cult hero showed he can fire against England’s “Bazballers”, bouncing back from a first-up shocker to produce an incisive and game-changing spell after lunch in the second day. Boland was rewarded for pulling his length back slightly, capturing the wickets of dangerous duo Ben Duckett and Harry Brook. England will come hard again at him in Brisbane, but Boland has a foothold in the series and knows he has the game to thwart the visitors. 8/10

Brendan Doggett – Australia’s other debutant, he more than paid his way with a mature performance on the big stage. He didn’t let the occasion overwhelm him and helped clean up the tail in both innings, which was important in a low-scoring game. He will be needed again at the Gabba if Pat Cummins cannot prove his fitness. 7/10

England

Zak Crawley – A pair for England’s boom-or-bust opener, who failed to see out the first over in both innings and was twice dismissed by Starc. Australia’s pacemen will again be targeting him on the driving length outside off stump in Brisbane, confident he does not have the discipline to pull his game back. He has some thinking to do. 0/10

Ben Duckett – The dynamic opener had his moments but was far from comfortable facing the extra pace and bounce on the spicy surface. He won his battle on day one against Boland, but the Victorian fought back hard in the second, nicking him off and landing a blow to his arm. Scores of 21 and 28 are a pass in a low-scoring game. 5/10

Ollie Pope – England’s No.3 came into the series as his team’s weakest link on paper, but leaves Perth as his team’s leading run-scorer. He rode his luck with numerous plays and misses, especially in the second innings, so is at risk of a regression to the mean in coming Tests. England needed him to kick on at least once, but he found a way when others didn’t. 7/10

Joe Root – The wait for a maiden Test century on Australian soil continues for the England great. Triple figures was a big ask on this pitch but – with Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood injured, and a decent lead when he marked his guard in the second innings – circumstances were in his favour to make a major impact. He didn’t. 1/10

Harry Brook – England’s boy wonder summed up the best and worst of “Bazball”. His counter-attacking half-century on day one was pivotal to his team setting up a competitive total, but his extravagant drive to Boland was “Bazball” without brains. His battle with Boland, whose natural line and length troubles Brook, is pivotal to how this series plays out. 6.5/10

Ben Stokes – The England captain failed twice with the bat, falling victim both times to the golden arm of Starc. That is a concern for a player whose batting has struggled in the past two years. In between was a devastating five-wicket haul when he capitalised after Jofra Archer softened Australia’s line-up. Stokes’ biggest task leading into the second Test is lifting his team’s spirits after this deflating defeat. 6.5/10

Jamie Smith – This was an OK Ashes debut for the wicketkeeper, who was reliable with the gloves and serviceable with the bat. He needs to rethink how he bats with England’s tail, though. Trying to take on the short ball to clear Australia’s longer boundaries is not a recipe for success. 5/10

Gus Atkinson – This wasn’t the best of starts to his Ashes career. He showed fight with the bat to eke out handy runs in the second innings but was wicketless from 21 overs. He was one of several to feel the wrath of Travis Head when the game hurtled out of control in the run chase. He’s no certainty to keep his place in Brisbane. 3/10

Brydon Carse – This guy is a competitor who is not afraid to get into the grill of the Australians. Even when the cause was lost, Carse kept fighting. He also battled hard with the bat when Australia bombarded him with a bumper barrage. He can hold his head high. 6/10

Jofra Archer – The demon quick was instrumental in England’s day-one fightback with a frightful spell with the new ball. Bowling regularly in the high 140s, Archer rattled Australia’s top order, softening them up for his teammates. He was not as quick or as threatening on the second day, when he should have been putting his feet up instead of having to butter up again. 7/10

Mark Wood – England’s fastest bowler contributed 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 worth will not be reaped if England cannot bat for longer to give their bowlers time to rest. His low workload this game means there’s no need for him to sit out at the Gabba. 3/10

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