Ashes bedlam: Perth delivers a day for the ages

On this most maniacal day of Test cricket, there was but a period of calm. A very brief one. It came during the longest batting partnership on Friday in Perth—the 71-ball stand between Travis Head and Cameron Green, which threatened for a short time to bring some normalcy to proceedings.

That was also probably the only time on Day One where there was an opportunity for everyone present at the Perth Stadium to even let sink in what they were witnessing. To fathom what they were a part of. To soak in the atmosphere, the sounds, the raucous Barmy Army chants, the loud Australian fan roars, and just how the 143-year-old legacy of Ashes cricket was exploding into this smorgasbord of chaos. The Perth Stadium had never been fuller, noisier, or more like a theatre of dreams during a Test match. But in addition to all that, the 51,531 fans could also finally do something they'd barely been able to since filling up this grand venue at the start of the day: take a breath.

Only for Ben Stokes to bring himself on into the attack. And nonchalantly pick up five wickets in a spell that lasted all of six overs. It's an accepted fact in world cricket that the England Test captain is a freak, with both bat and ball. But this was him just showing off his penchant to turn games of cricket on their heads. That too on a day of Test cricket which had left everyone's head spinning already. This was a five-wicket haul captured in fast forward, on a day where every aspect of the Test was in fast forward, eventually seeing 19 wickets fall to kick off this most-anticipated Ashes series.

There was a tinge of irony to it though. All this while, and especially over the last week or so, you wanted to fast forward the build up to the action, but then when we got there, the action played out in fast forward.

It was like watching two heavyweights get into the ring for a slugfest, but then immediately take their gloves off and throw haymakers at each other in Round 1 itself. With no remorse and seemingly with no fallback option.

That's what it felt like from the very first over of the day, as Zak Crawley tried imposing himself on Mitch Starc in the first over of the Test and edged to first slip off the last ball in the process. That set in motion a series of performances where every English batter walking in was trying to lay claim to being the one that shapes up this Ashes series. Like all of them were keener on creating an Ashes moment rather than focusing on what the situation of the match demanded of them.

Instead, it was Mitch Starc who ended up being the biggest beneficiary, while creating a genuine Ashes moment. Firstly, by producing one of the finest masterclasses of controlled fast bowling ever, and that too without his long-term pace companions, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood. But also being able to dismantle the top and the lower order in double quick time, so as to leave some long-term scars on them as we head to what is still Day 2 of this Test.

There were very fleeting impressions of note made by some of the English batters though, led by Harry Brook and even Ben Duckett early on. But none that could stand out in a first innings that lasted less than 33 overs.

Having said that, it's rare for a team to bowl out the opposition in less than 33 overs and feel like they weren't at their best. Though debutant Brendan Doggett and Green did contribute to the wickets' tally, it did feel like for Australia it was all about Starc.

Whereas when it was England's turn to bowl, all four of their fast bowlers played their respective roles with perfection. In probably one of this England team's best collective bowling performances.

It was set in motion by Jofra Archer. From the time he expressed his desire to play for them, England have looked to fast forward to the time when they could unleash him in the Ashes on Australian soil.

The time was finally here. And it took Archer all of two deliveries to show just why he has been groomed for so long to be the trump card for these conditions.

It wasn't only the wicket of Jake Weatherald with his second delivery, but also the way he unsettled Steve Smith at the start of his innings, and then returned to do so at a time when the Australian captain seemed to be getting his eye in.

Brydon Carse, if anything, was as potent in his first outing as Archer. Once again picked out of the blue by Stokes as a feisty back of the length operator who'd play a specific role for him on Australian soil, Carse delivered two of the biggest knockout blows on Friday. Starting with Smith, followed by Usman Khawaja, who batted at No 4.

On a day where only 74 overs were bowled and yet there was enough incidents to have notionally fit in at least three times more number of overs. So much so that it messed up Khawaja's stretching routines with the physio to deal with back stiffness in such a fashion, that he had been off the field longer than expected with relation to how rapidly the English innings was wrapped up. So, after months of trying to find him an opening partner, Khawaja was now not in a position to open himself.

On most other days, that bizarre twist of fate would have been the biggest talking point. But not on this particular day, which for most parts felt like being in a fever dream, a fun one at that. And a day of Ashes cricket that will take years, maybe even decades, to decipher, with no real guarantee that we'll be able to do so.