England slumped to a heavy defeat in the opening Ashes Test as Travis Head’s explosive century powered Australia to a remarkable comeback victory in Perth on Saturday. In the first Ashes match to finish inside two days since 1921, Head tore apart England’s bowling with a breathtaking 69-ball hundred - the second-fastest in Ashes history.
His 123 carried Australia to their target of 205 in just 28.2 overs, securing an eight-wicket win and a 1-0 lead in the five-Test series. The turnaround was dramatic. Australia had conceded a 40-run first-innings deficit and were effectively 105 behind when England moved to 65-1 shortly after lunch, only for the match to unravel for the visitors.
Mitchell Starc’s 10-wicket haul, combined with a series of poor English shots and a bold Australian call to elevate Head up the order, deepened England’s long-running struggles in the country - they have now lost 14 and drawn two of 16 Tests in Australia since 2011.
A collapse of six wickets for 39 runs in 11 overs - including a brutal spell of 3-0 in six balls that removed Ollie Pope, Harry Brook and Joe Root - left England reeling. Despite a brief counterattack from Gus Atkinson and Brydon Carse, who added a fifty stand, England were dismissed for 164 in 34.4 overs, losing their final nine wickets for 99.
Chasing what would be the highest total of the match, Australia instead romped home as Head produced one of the great Ashes knocks. England’s bowlers, so dominant the previous day, were dismantled, while the Perth crowd revelled in the one-sided finish.
The only suspense was whether the contest would stretch into a third day. Head ensured it would not, giving England ample time to reflect ahead of the day-night second Test in Brisbane on December 4.
Brief Scores: England 172 (Harry Brook 52; Mitchell Starc 7-58) & 164 (Gus Atkinson 37; Scott Boland 4-33) lost to Australia 132 (Alex Carey 26; Ben Stokes 5-23) & 205/2 (Travis Head 123; Brydon Carse 2-44) by eight wickets.