The first ball of an Ashes series is never just a routine delivery. It represents two or three seconds of tension, anticipation, and raw sporting theatre. Every player carries months—sometimes years—of preparation, hype, and national expectation onto the field. The crowd holds its breath. Careers can be defined. Narratives can be written instantly.

This week, England fast bowler Gus Atkinson summed up the significance perfectly when discussing the unique opportunity that comes with bowling the Ashes’ opening delivery.

“To set the tone of the whole series would be really cool… There have been some special moments with first balls in the Ashes. The chance to add to that would be cool.”

Indeed, the opening ball has produced some of the most dramatic and memorable moments in Ashes history—moments often used in hindsight to explain the momentum, dominance, or collapse that followed.

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Zak Crawley and the Edgbaston Statement (2023)

Few modern Ashes moments match the roar that echoed around Edgbaston in 2023. England opener Zak Crawley, having privately visualised smashing the first ball for four, did exactly that.

Australia captain Pat Cummins steamed in. Crawley leaned into a crisp cover drive. The ball raced to the boundary. The ground erupted.

Crawley later revealed that he’d discussed the idea with teammate Harry Brook while golfing in Scotland, determined to make a bold statement if England batted first.

England may not have won that series, nor the opening Test, but Crawley’s stroke captured the fearless, attacking ethos Ben Stokes’ team embraced all summer.

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Rory Burns and England’s Nightmare Start (2021–22)

While Crawley provided a moment of electric optimism, Rory Burns delivered one of England’s most painful Ashes openers.

In Brisbane, left-arm quick Mitchell Starc sent a swinging half-volley into Burns’ leg stump with the very first ball of the 2021–22 Ashes. Burns’ off-balance attempt to flick it away only made the dismissal more striking.

It was the first wicket taken with the first ball of an Ashes series since 1936.

England’s day—and tour—crumbled. They were bowled out for 147 and went on to lose the series 4–0. Stuart Broad later described the feeling:

“My emotion just dropped to the floor… You build up for the series and bang—first ball, he’s out.”

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Michael Slater’s Dominant First Blow (1994–95)

Long before Starc or Crawley, Australia set the tone for domination with a first-ball boundary of their own.

In the 1994–95 Ashes, opener Michael Slater cracked England’s Phil DeFreitas to the backward-point boundary. It was a thunderous moment embraced by Australian captain Steve Waugh, famous for preaching “mental disintegration.”

Waugh recalled thinking:

“Here we go again. We’ve got them already.”

Australia went on to win the series 3–1, extending a long period of Ashes dominance.

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Steve Harmison’s Infamous Wide (2006–07)

No Ashes moment is more infamous than Steve Harmison’s opening ball of the 2006–07 series—a wild, nervous delivery that flew straight to second slip, bypassing the pitch entirely.

In the aftermath, Harmison admitted:

“I froze… The enormity of the occasion got to me. My hands wouldn’t stop sweating.”

England had entered the series as defending champions after their 2005 heroics, but Australia responded with a ruthless 5–0 whitewash.

While the moment is often cited as symbolic of England’s collapse, Harmison disagrees, insisting the team simply wasn’t good enough in that series—first ball or not.

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Justin Langer and the Silence of Lord’s (2005)

Ashes openers aren’t always explosive. Sometimes, they’re chillingly quiet.

In the 2005 Ashes at Lord’s, Australian opener Justin Langer recalled a surreal moment as Steve Harmison marked out his run-up:

“The crowd went silent. Tangibly silent.”

Harmison’s first delivery whistled through to the keeper. Seconds later, a fierce delivery smashed into Langer’s elbow. Matthew Hayden was struck on the helmet. Ricky Ponting was hit under the eye and still carries the scar.

Langer described that hour as some of the most intense cricket he had ever played. Despite England losing the Test, that series would go down as one of the greatest in Ashes history.

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Why the First Ball Matters—Even When It Doesn’t

Not every Ashes series is decided by its first ball. Not every opener becomes iconic. But history shows that these moments are loaded with symbolism and psychological gravity.

For batters, it’s a moment of survival—or dominance.
For bowlers, it’s the chance to stamp authority instantly.
For fans, it’s the heartbeat quickening, the hush or roar, the beginning of a new chapter.

While one delivery may not decide an entire series, Ashes lore suggests you’re always better off delivering—or surviving—the first blow.