Zak Crawley endured a challenging start to the Ashes series as the opening Test in Perth produced a historic first: three consecutive innings beginning with a wicket at zero runs. Crawley was dismissed first ball in England’s opening innings, then again at 0 in the second innings, becoming only the fourth English opener in Ashes history to record a pair.
Crawley’s first-innings dismissal came when Mitchell Starc induced an edge to the slip cordon, reducing England to 0/1 before a run was scored. The pattern continued as Australia’s Jake Weatherald fell lbw to Jofra Archer at 0/1, and the unusual sequence concluded with Crawley again bowled by Starc at the start of England’s second innings.
The sequence highlights the immense pressure on top-order batters in the Ashes, especially in conditions that favour pace and swing. Crawley’s struggles echo those of past English openers, Trevor Bailey (1959), Dennis Amiss (1975) and Michael Atherton (1998), all of whom endured pairs in Ashes Tests.
Despite the setbacks, Crawley remains a key figure for England, and the statistical anomaly will be remembered as a curious footnote in cricketing history.