The opening Ashes Test in Perth wrapped up inside two days after a flurry of rapid scoring and aggressive play, leaving Cricket Australia staring at an estimated loss of more than $3 million in ticket revenue.

England’s disappearing act in Perth was branded “an affront to Test cricket,’’ so poor it made one correspondent feel ill.

The West Test reached a television audience of 5.8 million people across Australia, as the Perth pitch proved too hot for England to handle.

The ground is hosting its first Ashes Test but will replicate the pace and bounce that made the WACA, across the Swan River, so feared

CA had earmarked the Ashes to help balance the budget but if short Tests become the theme it may prove difficult | ESPN.com

This was Test cricket for our times: just 141 overs of unadulterated madness that cost millions and captivated many more.

How do you even begin to measure the ineptitude of England’s batting here? Perhaps it is the fact that they bowled Australia out for 132 and yet still contrived to lose by eight wickets in two days. Or that Alastair Cook faced more balls in making his Brisbane double century in 2010 than the entire team did across two innings of this pulverising in Perth.

Australia pace spearhead Mitchell Starc delivered a masterclass in fast bowling during the opening Ashes Test in Perth, scripting history with an exceptional all-round performance that resulted in a 10-wicket match haul.

The dust is settling on the first Ashes Test in Perth in which England were beaten by Australia. At lunch on day two, the visitors looked to be in control of the Test. By the end of the day, it