England’s second innings against Australia ended in humiliating fashion in Perth, where the touring side were skittled for 164 on the second day of the first Test and consigned to an extraordinary statistical low.
Their collapse at the Optus Stadium ensured they faced fewer balls across both innings than any England team in the past 130 years, a stark indictment of the attacking methodology they continue to champion.
Having been routed for 172 on the opening day, England’s second innings lasted just 34.4 overs, dismantled once again by the pace of Mitchell Starc.
The left-arm fast bowler, who tore through them on day one, returned to expose the same technical frailties with ruthless efficiency, ending the Three Lions' hopes of setting a big total.
This time, Starc found an ally in Scott Boland.
The pair shared seven wickets in a relentless spell that allowed Australia to regain control of the contest after a slow start.
Any meekness from the tourists was masked only by the speed of their scoring.
England's second innings against Australia lasted just 34.4 overs
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England mustered a run rate of 5.23 in their first innings and 4.73 in the second, a continuation of their ‘Bazball’ identity, but style offered no substance.
As wickets tumbled with alarming inevitability, the result was a record that will sit uncomfortably with a team who insist that aggression is a virtue, regardless of circumstance.
Across both innings, they faced just 405 balls. Not since 1895 has an England side completed two innings with so little resistance.
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Five things to know about the Ashes | PAThe statistic has opened the door for Australia to chase a modest 205 in what might yet prove a tense finish.
Yet, such a target seems to say more about England’s tactical stubbornness than competitive balance.
A century of Test history separates this performance from its closest predecessors.
Only in 1904 and 1888, both against Australia, have England been dismissed more swiftly in terms of balls faced: 325 and 388 deliveries, respectively.
That two of those examples came from an era of uncovered pitches and rudimentary protective gear underlines the scale of the failure witnessed in Perth.
To make matters worse, England have continued to struggle after tea.
Mitchell Starc caused chaos again with England collapsing against Australia on day two of The Ashes
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With Australia's tails up, their opening pairing of Jake Weatherald and Travis Head immediately got to work.
Weatherald clocked up a score of 23, his first runs in Test cricket.
However, he was eventually dismissed for 2023 with Brydon Carse bowling and Ben Duckett providing the catch.
Head was able to clock up his half-century from just 37 balls, hitting four fours and three sixes in the process.
England seemed to be in the ascendancy at the end of day one.
Now, however, the pendulum has swung back the other way.