Perth, Nov 21 (NationPress) Esteemed fast bowler Mitchell Starc wreaked havoc on England's batting lineup during the inaugural Test in Perth, capturing three pivotal wickets and marking his place as the 21st bowler and the 13th Australian to achieve the remarkable feat of 100 Ashes wickets.

This milestone was accomplished in just 23 Tests, highlighting his prowess in this historic contest. Starc has also matched Curtly Ambrose with 405 Test wickets and is now closing in on Wasim Akram's record of 414, which stands as the highest Test wickets taken by a left-arm fast bowler.

In the 100th Test of his career, Starc's all-round capabilities are evident as he has accumulated 2,322 runs, featuring 11 half-centuries, with a top score of 99.

Among the current players from both squads, only Nathan Lyon (110) and Starc boast 100 or more wickets in the Ashes.

For the English team, the leading bowlers in the series are Ben Stokes and Mark Wood, each claiming 41 wickets.

Previously, Stokes won the toss and chose to bat first at Perth Stadium, where the visitors opted for four pacers, excluding off-spinner Shoaib Bashir from the 12-man lineup.

Meanwhile, Australia awarded first Test caps to opening batsman Jake Weatherald and fast bowler Brendan Doggett, the latter making his case following an explosive start in the Sheffield Shield, where he took 13 wickets across two matches for South Australia.

The opening session was challenging for England as they lost opener Zak Crawley for a duck on the very first ball bowled by Starc. The left-arm speedster then dismissed Ben Duckett (21) and Joe Root (0) in quick succession, leaving the visitors reeling at 39/3. Nevertheless, Ollie Pope and Harry Brook steadied the innings with a 55-run partnership for the fourth wicket before Cameron Green trapped Pope in front for lbw. Pope departed after scoring 46, leaving England at 105/4 at lunch, with Brook not out on 28 and Ben Stokes remaining unbeaten on 4.