Australia defeated England in the opening Test of the Ashes 2025–26, a contest that concluded within just two days amid a relentless pace-bowling exhibition. The hosts secured an eight-wicket win, riding on left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc’s outstanding spells followed by Travis Head's blistering century that propelled them to a 1-0 lead in the series.
England were bowled out for 172 in their first innings, with Harry Brook top-scoring with 52. Starc was the wrecker-in-chief, claiming 7/58. In reply,
Australia struggled as well and were dismissed for 132, courtesy of Ben Stokes’ superb 5/23. The Englishmen, however, failed to capitalize as they were bundled out for 164 in their second innings on Day 2, with Scott Boland returning figures of 4/33.
Set a target of 205, Australia chased it down in 28.2 overs. Head, coming as an opener, smashed a whirlwind 123 off 83 balls, while Marnus Labuschagne contributed an unbeaten 51 to seal the dominant win. Despite missing pace spearheads Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, the Australians produced a commanding performance that wrapped up the Test in rapid fashion.
In another ongoing series, India are facing South Africa in Guwahati, where the visitors lead 1-0 after winning the opening Test at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Electing to bat in the second Test, the Proteas crossed the 200-run mark on the opening day.
Meanwhile, New Zealand, after clinching both white-ball series against West Indies, now shift their focus to the three-match Test series beginning December 2 in Christchurch. The Ashes will resume with the second Test at the Gabba in Brisbane from December 4, set to be played under lights.
World Test Championship 2025-27 Points Table:
| Position | Team | Matches | Won | Lost | Tied | Drawn | N/R | Points | PCT (%) |
| 1 | Australia | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 48 | 100.00 |
| 2 | South Africa | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 66.67 |
| 3 | Sri Lanka | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 66.67 |
| 4 | India | 8 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 52 | 54.17 |
| 5 | Pakistan | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 50.00 |
| 6 | England | 6 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 26 | 36.11 |
| 7 | Bangladesh | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 16.67 |
| 8 | West Indies | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| 9 | New Zealand | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
