November 21, 2025 • 12 mins
A chaotic opening day of the first Ashes cricket test between Australia and England in Perth has seen 19 wickets fall – the most on the first day of an Ashes test since 1909.
England were bundled out for 172 before Australia were kept to 123 for 9 at stumps – trailing by 49 runs.
The day also saw Australian opener Usman Khawaja forced to bat at number four after being off the field for the end of England's innings with back spasms.
English cricket great Ian Botham told Piney it’s a good day for England, as they have a good lead and could almost wrap it up today.
He says it’s nice to say that England are in charge.
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Weekend Sport Podcast with Jason Vine
from newstalks'b been.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
A chaotic opening day meantime of the first Ashes cricket
Test between Australia and England in Perth. Stokes, White of
the crease, gets him, just gets crickets when he's team
need and been Stokes cars takes the Cats and the England.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
Captain as he softened ours delivers.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Exactly when England needs something edge as it carried.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
They like it.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Yes, indeed, Harry Pork and it's five for the captain.
A huge statement from Ben Stokes on the opening day.
What a leader, what a man. Incredible first day nineteen
wickets falling the most on the first day of an
Ash's cricket Test since nineteen oh nine. England bundled out
(00:59):
for one hundred and seventy two, Mitchell Stark taking a
career best seven for fifty eight, but Australia could only
manage one hundred and twenty three for nine in reply
at stumps on day one day trail by forty nine runs.
Day two is underway in just over an hour from now.
It's a huge pleasure to welcome in one of the
(01:20):
true greats of English cricket and one of the game's
best ever all rounders. In one hundred and two Test
matches across fifteen years in the England side, Ian Botham
scored five two hundred runs, including fourteen centuries, took three
hundred and eighty three Test wickets along with one hundred
and twenty catches. But more than that, he defined English
(01:40):
cricket during his time in the side, and in nineteen
eighty one produced one of the most extraordinary performances in
the storied history of the Ashes, leading England to victory
with bat and ball. He was knighted in two thousand
and seven and in twenty twenty was appointed by the
Prime Minister to the House of Lords, so we now
know him as Lord Botham. Thanks for joining us, Lord Botham,
(02:02):
it's great to have you on the show. Let's start
with yesterday. What did you make of the start of
the Coronations Series? Nineteen wickets on the opening day.
Speaker 3 (02:11):
Well, they always say that quick bowls, fast bowls and
good bowls win matches, and we've got five very good
bowls out there, and they're all around well from ninety
upwards miles per hour, so that showed yesterday in Australia
looked very uncomfortable.
Speaker 2 (02:26):
Some of the batting from both sides actually was fairly ordinary.
Did you think there'd be a bit more discerning with
their shot selection both sides given it was day one
of the ashes.
Speaker 3 (02:38):
Well, I don't think the Australian has got very many
bad shots. I think you're just bowled out and I
think that's the way. That's the way it's shaping. And
go to Brisbane next our day nights, so goodness knows
what will happen with that wicket. But no, look at
a very good day for England. They've got a decent read.
Things should provide the weather does interfere too much today,
(03:01):
but no, I think it's going to be exciting day
and almost wrap it up to the.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
Well, it's quite possible. Ben Stokes didn't come to the
bowl increase until the twenty eighth over, but picked up
five for twenty three from six overs. Just as a
bowling captain, how do you know when it is the
right time to bring yourself on.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
Well, I think he saved himself. He let his main
stroke bowlers go. They're all exceptional. Brydon cass I thought
looked fantastic. He aggressive in the face of the Australons
and you know, Josh for Archer just says to run
up and people start to shake in. So no, it's
a strong side this. You need to give credit not
(03:45):
saying bad shots and bad shots. What you needn't says
they only make those bad shots when they're under pressure.
We're not fancy it, And.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
You're right, some terrific bowling, Josh for Archer. He debut
for England and Test cricket in twenty nineteen, but this
is only a sixteenth Test. He's thirty now, that picked
up both openers yesterday. Could he still forge you a
good teat Korea in his thirties for England?
Speaker 3 (04:08):
Is a fast bowler Oho thirty not thirties? Yeah, but no,
he's if he stays fit, starming him have a massive
impact for probably the next four maybe five years.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
Another test fifty yesterday for Harry Brook. Prodigious talents. How
good might he become? And he already is, but how
good might he be in all formats for England?
Speaker 3 (04:34):
Well, he's refreshing, he has no fear. He backs himself
against whoever's bowling, doesn't matter who it is Mitchell Stark.
He charged him in the second ball and stacked it
for four. So look, he is a unique talent and
one that crowds are going to love to watch that
he is explosive and can win games very quickly.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
Are you a fan of England's approach to Test cricket
under Brendan McCullum.
Speaker 3 (05:02):
Well no, never. Look now it's seventy or eight two
runs we're ahead. I leave it with that. Let's have
a work for you know, if you're seventy or eighty
runs behind then we'd have a discussion. But at the
moment in the driving seat, very much so.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
And I know there was a bit of check yep, sorry,
carry on.
Speaker 3 (05:18):
No, it's going to say that that's because of the
aggressive way they played. And you know you can have
it always. People love it. Crowds are full, the highest
crowd that ever had here yesterday. It's going to be
like that all the way through this series. It's not
a series you want to go to sleep and because
things will change quickly.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
Absolutely, And I know there was some talk about about,
I guess a less than comprehensive build up for the
England side. Again, we look at yesterday and it doesn't
seem to be previcted them too much. Do you think
they might have given themselves a bit more of a
build up to the Ashes than the intersquad.
Speaker 3 (05:50):
Match they had. Yeah, well, I think I went on
record as saying that, and I felt they needed more
time to put the build up. But we'll see. Look,
you know, I love it if they prove me wrong.
Happy days, very happy days.
Speaker 2 (06:05):
You're his Korea remarkable. Don't know time to cover the
whole thing, but I did want to ask about nineteen
ninety one, that remarkable series. How often do you think
back to that summer?
Speaker 3 (06:16):
No, as you guys that keep reminding me. No, I'm
actually I'm pretty relaxed that all that. I think it
was great. I enjoyed it. I enjoyed the fact that
we turned people must must forget that England was intermoil
and a little bit as is at the moment, but
was in turmoil with we had the race riots, we
(06:37):
had the minors strike. Everything would possibly go wrong was
going wrong, and we happened to be the guys that
just suddenly turned the light on and gave everyone something
to look at. So look, at the end of the day, Yeah,
it was a great moment personally, but there's also great
moments from a great team, a very good team and
a very good team that hell theres high. You know,
(06:59):
we were written off yet again by our wonderful breast
and who continuously writes and writing off, and yet when
they actually start to well, I haven't seen the headlines today,
but I should think they mightn't be quite as severe
as they as they usually are.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
Were they quite severe leading into yesterday before the series
even started, of.
Speaker 3 (07:20):
Course they were? Would you expect they're English?
Speaker 1 (07:24):
Well?
Speaker 2 (07:24):
I just wanted to get confirmation. Really I suspected. I
suspect that they might be. But good to have the confirmation. Yeah,
well they might be quite they might be a lot
kinder today is just say we're looking at it. You
know you hope so, wouldn't you?
Speaker 3 (07:36):
So?
Speaker 2 (07:36):
Okay, So get in the final wicket and then get
back and what is it likely to be like on
day two there? Do you expect a bit more application?
Or will England just continue to type and go for
it at five or six and over if they can?
Speaker 3 (07:48):
So what's this application? Is that mean you have forty
five balls and you have three runs and you get out?
Is that application? Well? I don't know.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
You actually you make a very good point. You're right,
it's I guess people look at what how test cricket
used to be and applying yourself, playing yourself and all
that sort of stuff. Is that irrelevant now to test cricket.
Speaker 3 (08:07):
It's not relevant. It's a matter you play accordingly. And
I think the pictures are like the usual Australian wikets.
This one is a little bit uneven bounced, which will
continue the cracks to open and drop in pitches. So
at the moment there's only one side really, I think
is in the strongest, strongest position as the English. At
(08:27):
the end of the day. You know these guys, you know,
they're in their own world. They're very much to keep
themselves themselves. They do a lot of things together and
that's that's fantastic. It's great for team spirit. We did
that in eighty six seven when we came over here
and it worked and we thrashed Australia. So hopefully we'll
see what happens now.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
Fantastic. What's the venue like in Perth? Most of us
here have had the chance to go. Is it a
good tast cricket venue.
Speaker 3 (08:53):
Well, it's it's the only one that's really viable because
old sixty thousand or whenever it is fifty odd thousands.
So so the stadium, yeah, I mean i'd love to
see only had what seventeen thousand capacity, so you know,
logistically this is where it will be. The up to
Staaten is very modern. I think it's used by the
AFL most of the time as well, so it's getting
(09:16):
plenty of service. But that's the biggest crowd they've had.
So that's how says a lot about the word Test
career is now. It's exciting, it's bullistic and it's nice
to say that England are in charge.
Speaker 2 (09:28):
Indeed, look forward to seeing how the rest of this
Test and the eshes play out. Lord Botham, thank you
for taking the time for joining us across New Zealand.
I really appreciate your time.
Speaker 3 (09:37):
I'll be joining you in a lovely little island in
about a month or so such time, two months, son,
so look forward to.
Speaker 2 (09:44):
Look forward to having you down here, Lord Botham. Thanks indeed,
that Ian Botham. Lord Botham of course one of the
great all rounders of his time, of any time you
remember back to the eighties and he and Sir Richard Hadley, Keppel,
Devan Raan Kahn. You know, they were just a generational
bunch of all rounders. And you look at the numbers
that that Ian both them put up and they still
(10:06):
stand the test of time today. You know, to be
able to score over five thousand Test runs and take
close to four hundred Test wickets, I mean, those are
numbers that were unheard of back then. And that nineteen
eighty one Ashes series, as I was saying before two o'clock,
(10:26):
Ian Botham started that series as England captain and after
a draw and a loss, and in the second loss
he got a pair I think a pair of ducks
and he was removed from the captain c but then
went on to play an absolutely starring role with bat
and ball to help England to a what eventually turned
(10:50):
out to be a three to one series win six
Test matches and that Ashes series one hundred and forty
nine not out as England followed on in that Test
match at Headingley. Then he got another one hundred later
in the series. He got a five fer like five
for eleven or something in one of the other Test
matches to bowl England to victory. Just absolutely remarkable. The
(11:13):
fact we're still talking about an Ash's series forty four
years later, when there's been so much cricket since both
of them's ashes. Yeah, remember I remember sort of seeing
it as a young boy. Have read a lot about
that series and there was that famous story. Wasn't about
that Headingly Test? Where was it? Dennis Lilly and Rod
(11:33):
Marsh they bet they saw odds of five hundred to
one for England to win that Test after they had
been asked to follow on, and they took They took
the bet. They basically bet against themselves. They are much
simpler times back then. There was a bit of a
backlash after that happened. So if we look at the
(11:56):
current game, if you haven't caught up with the score yesterday,
it was just terrific theater. You know, I still feel
like you can apply yourself in Test cricket, can't you?
You can? You know, you can play yourself and you've
got five days, not just twenty overs anyway, one seventy
two all out England and then Australia one twenty three
(12:16):
for nine. I thought some of England's shot making in
their back half of their first time it was pretty
pretty ordinary. There were some fairly ordinary shots played, but
then again I thought Australia too. There's some trumming the ball.
Travis Head got out too. Yeah, not great.
Speaker 1 (12:34):
For more from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine, listen live
to News Talk Said Be weekends from midday, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio
You're listening to the Weekend Sport Podcast with Jason Vine
from newstalks'b been.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
A chaotic opening day meantime of the first Ashes cricket
Test between Australia and England in Perth. Stokes, White of
the crease, gets him, just gets crickets when he's team
need and been Stokes cars takes the Cats and the England.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
Captain as he softened ours delivers.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Exactly when England needs something edge as it carried.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
They like it.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Yes, indeed, Harry Pork and it's five for the captain.
A huge statement from Ben Stokes on the opening day.
What a leader, what a man. Incredible first day nineteen
wickets falling the most on the first day of an
Ash's cricket Test since nineteen oh nine. England bundled out
(00:59):
for one hundred and seventy two, Mitchell Stark taking a
career best seven for fifty eight, but Australia could only
manage one hundred and twenty three for nine in reply
at stumps on day one day trail by forty nine runs.
Day two is underway in just over an hour from now.
It's a huge pleasure to welcome in one of the
(01:20):
true greats of English cricket and one of the game's
best ever all rounders. In one hundred and two Test
matches across fifteen years in the England side, Ian Botham
scored five two hundred runs, including fourteen centuries, took three
hundred and eighty three Test wickets along with one hundred
and twenty catches. But more than that, he defined English
(01:40):
cricket during his time in the side, and in nineteen
eighty one produced one of the most extraordinary performances in
the storied history of the Ashes, leading England to victory
with bat and ball. He was knighted in two thousand
and seven and in twenty twenty was appointed by the
Prime Minister to the House of Lords, so we now
know him as Lord Botham. Thanks for joining us, Lord Botham,
(02:02):
it's great to have you on the show. Let's start
with yesterday. What did you make of the start of
the Coronations Series? Nineteen wickets on the opening day.
Speaker 3 (02:11):
Well, they always say that quick bowls, fast bowls and
good bowls win matches, and we've got five very good
bowls out there, and they're all around well from ninety
upwards miles per hour, so that showed yesterday in Australia
looked very uncomfortable.
Speaker 2 (02:26):
Some of the batting from both sides actually was fairly ordinary.
Did you think there'd be a bit more discerning with
their shot selection both sides given it was day one
of the ashes.
Speaker 3 (02:38):
Well, I don't think the Australian has got very many
bad shots. I think you're just bowled out and I
think that's the way. That's the way it's shaping. And
go to Brisbane next our day nights, so goodness knows
what will happen with that wicket. But no, look at
a very good day for England. They've got a decent read.
Things should provide the weather does interfere too much today,
(03:01):
but no, I think it's going to be exciting day
and almost wrap it up to the.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
Well, it's quite possible. Ben Stokes didn't come to the
bowl increase until the twenty eighth over, but picked up
five for twenty three from six overs. Just as a
bowling captain, how do you know when it is the
right time to bring yourself on.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
Well, I think he saved himself. He let his main
stroke bowlers go. They're all exceptional. Brydon cass I thought
looked fantastic. He aggressive in the face of the Australons
and you know, Josh for Archer just says to run
up and people start to shake in. So no, it's
a strong side this. You need to give credit not
(03:45):
saying bad shots and bad shots. What you needn't says
they only make those bad shots when they're under pressure.
We're not fancy it, And.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
You're right, some terrific bowling, Josh for Archer. He debut
for England and Test cricket in twenty nineteen, but this
is only a sixteenth Test. He's thirty now, that picked
up both openers yesterday. Could he still forge you a
good teat Korea in his thirties for England?
Speaker 3 (04:08):
Is a fast bowler Oho thirty not thirties? Yeah, but no,
he's if he stays fit, starming him have a massive
impact for probably the next four maybe five years.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
Another test fifty yesterday for Harry Brook. Prodigious talents. How
good might he become? And he already is, but how
good might he be in all formats for England?
Speaker 3 (04:34):
Well, he's refreshing, he has no fear. He backs himself
against whoever's bowling, doesn't matter who it is Mitchell Stark.
He charged him in the second ball and stacked it
for four. So look, he is a unique talent and
one that crowds are going to love to watch that
he is explosive and can win games very quickly.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
Are you a fan of England's approach to Test cricket
under Brendan McCullum.
Speaker 3 (05:02):
Well no, never. Look now it's seventy or eight two
runs we're ahead. I leave it with that. Let's have
a work for you know, if you're seventy or eighty
runs behind then we'd have a discussion. But at the
moment in the driving seat, very much so.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
And I know there was a bit of check yep, sorry,
carry on.
Speaker 3 (05:18):
No, it's going to say that that's because of the
aggressive way they played. And you know you can have
it always. People love it. Crowds are full, the highest
crowd that ever had here yesterday. It's going to be
like that all the way through this series. It's not
a series you want to go to sleep and because
things will change quickly.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
Absolutely, And I know there was some talk about about,
I guess a less than comprehensive build up for the
England side. Again, we look at yesterday and it doesn't
seem to be previcted them too much. Do you think
they might have given themselves a bit more of a
build up to the Ashes than the intersquad.
Speaker 3 (05:50):
Match they had. Yeah, well, I think I went on
record as saying that, and I felt they needed more
time to put the build up. But we'll see. Look,
you know, I love it if they prove me wrong.
Happy days, very happy days.
Speaker 2 (06:05):
You're his Korea remarkable. Don't know time to cover the
whole thing, but I did want to ask about nineteen
ninety one, that remarkable series. How often do you think
back to that summer?
Speaker 3 (06:16):
No, as you guys that keep reminding me. No, I'm
actually I'm pretty relaxed that all that. I think it
was great. I enjoyed it. I enjoyed the fact that
we turned people must must forget that England was intermoil
and a little bit as is at the moment, but
was in turmoil with we had the race riots, we
(06:37):
had the minors strike. Everything would possibly go wrong was
going wrong, and we happened to be the guys that
just suddenly turned the light on and gave everyone something
to look at. So look, at the end of the day, Yeah,
it was a great moment personally, but there's also great
moments from a great team, a very good team and
a very good team that hell theres high. You know,
(06:59):
we were written off yet again by our wonderful breast
and who continuously writes and writing off, and yet when
they actually start to well, I haven't seen the headlines today,
but I should think they mightn't be quite as severe
as they as they usually are.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
Were they quite severe leading into yesterday before the series
even started, of.
Speaker 3 (07:20):
Course they were? Would you expect they're English?
Speaker 1 (07:24):
Well?
Speaker 2 (07:24):
I just wanted to get confirmation. Really I suspected. I
suspect that they might be. But good to have the confirmation. Yeah,
well they might be quite they might be a lot
kinder today is just say we're looking at it. You
know you hope so, wouldn't you?
Speaker 3 (07:36):
So?
Speaker 2 (07:36):
Okay, So get in the final wicket and then get
back and what is it likely to be like on
day two there? Do you expect a bit more application?
Or will England just continue to type and go for
it at five or six and over if they can?
Speaker 3 (07:48):
So what's this application? Is that mean you have forty
five balls and you have three runs and you get out?
Is that application? Well? I don't know.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
You actually you make a very good point. You're right,
it's I guess people look at what how test cricket
used to be and applying yourself, playing yourself and all
that sort of stuff. Is that irrelevant now to test cricket.
Speaker 3 (08:07):
It's not relevant. It's a matter you play accordingly. And
I think the pictures are like the usual Australian wikets.
This one is a little bit uneven bounced, which will
continue the cracks to open and drop in pitches. So
at the moment there's only one side really, I think
is in the strongest, strongest position as the English. At
(08:27):
the end of the day. You know these guys, you know,
they're in their own world. They're very much to keep
themselves themselves. They do a lot of things together and
that's that's fantastic. It's great for team spirit. We did
that in eighty six seven when we came over here
and it worked and we thrashed Australia. So hopefully we'll
see what happens now.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
Fantastic. What's the venue like in Perth? Most of us
here have had the chance to go. Is it a
good tast cricket venue.
Speaker 3 (08:53):
Well, it's it's the only one that's really viable because
old sixty thousand or whenever it is fifty odd thousands.
So so the stadium, yeah, I mean i'd love to
see only had what seventeen thousand capacity, so you know,
logistically this is where it will be. The up to
Staaten is very modern. I think it's used by the
AFL most of the time as well, so it's getting
(09:16):
plenty of service. But that's the biggest crowd they've had.
So that's how says a lot about the word Test
career is now. It's exciting, it's bullistic and it's nice
to say that England are in charge.
Speaker 2 (09:28):
Indeed, look forward to seeing how the rest of this
Test and the eshes play out. Lord Botham, thank you
for taking the time for joining us across New Zealand.
I really appreciate your time.
Speaker 3 (09:37):
I'll be joining you in a lovely little island in
about a month or so such time, two months, son,
so look forward to.
Speaker 2 (09:44):
Look forward to having you down here, Lord Botham. Thanks indeed,
that Ian Botham. Lord Botham of course one of the
great all rounders of his time, of any time you
remember back to the eighties and he and Sir Richard Hadley, Keppel,
Devan Raan Kahn. You know, they were just a generational
bunch of all rounders. And you look at the numbers
that that Ian both them put up and they still
(10:06):
stand the test of time today. You know, to be
able to score over five thousand Test runs and take
close to four hundred Test wickets, I mean, those are
numbers that were unheard of back then. And that nineteen
eighty one Ashes series, as I was saying before two o'clock,
(10:26):
Ian Botham started that series as England captain and after
a draw and a loss, and in the second loss
he got a pair I think a pair of ducks
and he was removed from the captain c but then
went on to play an absolutely starring role with bat
and ball to help England to a what eventually turned
(10:50):
out to be a three to one series win six
Test matches and that Ashes series one hundred and forty
nine not out as England followed on in that Test
match at Headingley. Then he got another one hundred later
in the series. He got a five fer like five
for eleven or something in one of the other Test
matches to bowl England to victory. Just absolutely remarkable. The
(11:13):
fact we're still talking about an Ash's series forty four
years later, when there's been so much cricket since both
of them's ashes. Yeah, remember I remember sort of seeing
it as a young boy. Have read a lot about
that series and there was that famous story. Wasn't about
that Headingly Test? Where was it? Dennis Lilly and Rod
(11:33):
Marsh they bet they saw odds of five hundred to
one for England to win that Test after they had
been asked to follow on, and they took They took
the bet. They basically bet against themselves. They are much
simpler times back then. There was a bit of a
backlash after that happened. So if we look at the
(11:56):
current game, if you haven't caught up with the score yesterday,
it was just terrific theater. You know, I still feel
like you can apply yourself in Test cricket, can't you?
You can? You know, you can play yourself and you've
got five days, not just twenty overs anyway, one seventy
two all out England and then Australia one twenty three
(12:16):
for nine. I thought some of England's shot making in
their back half of their first time it was pretty
pretty ordinary. There were some fairly ordinary shots played, but
then again I thought Australia too. There's some trumming the ball.
Travis Head got out too. Yeah, not great.
Speaker 1 (12:34):
For more from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine, listen live
to News Talk Said Be weekends from midday, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio
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