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Cricket

The Ashes

Opinion

The paradox of pace: What Australia and England have to do to win the first Ashes Test

Greg Chappell Former Australian Test captain November 15, 2025 — 9.33am

Perth, home to the WACA and the modern Optus Stadium, boasts a reputation built on sheer pace and bounce. The strip here is pure energy, where the ball flies with a velocity unmatched anywhere else. Instinct suggests that to conquer such an intimidating surface, a batter must meet fire with fire.

But here lies the paradox of pace: the hardest, quickest pitches in the world demand the slowest hands and the calmest mind. The harder a batter tries to hit the ball, the greater their chance of failure. To master the extreme speed, one must yield to it, allowing the wicket’s natural venom to do

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