First Ashes without a Gabba opener in 40 years: Do England have an advantage?

The first Test moving from the Gabba to Perth offers England a fresh start, but their historical performance in Australia remains poor.

Taking the first Test away from the Gabba looks like a favour to England. For the first time since 1982-83, they won’t walk into the Gabba with 42000 Australians breathing down their necks, but into a gleaming bowl on the Swan River where they’ve never played a Test.

On paper, that feels like a reset. In reality, the numbers say this: the venue has changed, the challenge hasn’t.

Since 1986, the Gabba has been the default Ashes curtain-raiser in Australia. In those 10 Ashes openers, Australia have won seven and drawn two, while England haven’t won a single Test there this century. Their last victory in Brisbane came in 1986, when Botham’s 138 lit up a se