Stuart Broad’s stunned silence in the commentary box became the defining image of another chaotic Ashes day in Perth, as the former fast bowler struggled to process Joe Root’s dismissal during England’s second-innings collapse.
Broad, analysing the match for Australian broadcaster 7+, froze on air when Mitchell Starc sent Root’s off stump flying, reducing England to 75-5 after they had been cruising at 65-1.
As replays rolled, Broad stared straight ahead, motionless, before eventually bowing his head in disbelief.
Beside him, former Australia opener Matthew Hayden grinned and delivered a pointed quip, adding to the brutal contrast.
Within minutes, clips of Broad’s reaction were circulating widely across social media.
One viewer wrote: “The beauty of Ashes is right here. Every reaction is getting captured somewhere. Talk about broadcasting levels.”
Another joked: “If Broad and Hayden are getting along, this Ashes is officially wild,” while a third quipped that Broad “doesn’t wanna be there”.
Stuart Broad accurately representing all England fans this morning 😅
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) November 22, 2025
Credit: 7Cricket pic.twitter.com/aZspYriEdf
The moment reflected the mood among England supporters, who watched their side seize control before lunch on the second day only to implode spectacularly afterwards.
England had begun the day with a 105-run lead and nine wickets in hand, their bowlers’ impressive work on day one briefly masking familiar batting frailties.
Within an hour, Scott Boland and Starc had ripped through the top order, dismissing Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope and Harry Brook before Starc delivered the unanswerable ball that uprooted Root.
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Five things to know about the Ashes | PAEngland were eventually bowled out for 164, as Starc completed match figures of 10 for 113 and Australia’s pace attack turned pressure into dominance.
The hosts then chased down 205 with startling ease, with Travis Head smashing a century from just 69 balls while Marnus Labuschagne steered them home inside 28.2 overs.
The result delivered an eight-wicket victory in only two days, the shortest Ashes Test finish since 1921, and left England facing another uphill battle on Australian soil.
Head coach Brendon McCullum later insisted there would be no shift in England’s aggressive batting approach, despite the collapse.
Speaking to TNT Sports, he praised Boland’s pivotal spell.
“I thought Boland bowled exceptionally well, he hit the deck hard and his paces were up," he said.
Joe Root struggled with the bat again as England lost their Ashes opener against Australia
| GETTY"We were on top of him in the first innings so it was impressive the way he came back at a pivotal moment.
"We were 100 ahead and only one down so that was the time for us to start to try and manoeuvre the game into our favour."
He defended the team’s philosophy of constant pressure, adding: “Yes, there are times when we have to throttle down and times when we have to power up.
"But the basic principle of how we operate as a team is to put pressure on the opposition. And I’ll stress, I thought 200 was a good score until Travis Head played the way he did.”
With the second Test looming in Brisbane, England will need to regroup first.
Whether they can bounce back and level the series as it moves east is something only time will tell.