Travis Head’s quick century leads Australia to big two-day win

1st Test Ashes 2025: Travis Head’s quick century leads Australia to big two-day win

Travis Head promoted to open after Usman Khawaja suffered a back injury, scored a magical century in just 69 balls to lead Australia to a stunning eight-wicket victory over England inside two days.

The first Ashes Test in Perth ended in just two days, with Australia beating England by eight wickets in a dramatic turnaround.

England had started Day 2 in control, but within five hours they collapsed and handed the game to Australia. Fast bowlers Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland ripped through England’s batting, with Starc taking 10 wickets in the match.

Chasing 205 runs, Australia’s makeshift opener Travis Head smashed a brilliant 123 off 83 balls, scoring at more than seven runs an over. His century came in just 69 balls, one of the fastest by an Australian in Tests. Alongside him, Marnus Labuschagne stayed unbeaten on 51, and captain Steven Smith hit the winning run to seal the victory.

Head’s aggressive batting stunned England, who had looked dangerous with their pace attack on the opening day. He punished loose deliveries, hitting boundaries freely, and gave the crowd of nearly 50,000 plenty to cheer about.

Earlier, England were 65 for 1 with a lead of 105, but Boland sparked a collapse. England lost four wickets for 11 runs in 19 balls, and eventually folded for 99 more runs in the session. Starc added to the damage by dismissing Joe Root and continuing his dominance over Ben Stokes, who he has now dismissed 11 times in Tests.

Debutant Brendan Doggett also impressed, taking five wickets and finishing off England’s innings.

England’s batting failures were costly. Their top order gave away wickets, Root had a poor game with two low scores, and only a late counterattack from Brydon Carse and Gus Atkinson offered some resistance.

Australia’s bowlers had earlier been under pressure, with Boland expensive in the first innings and England holding a 40-run lead. But once Starc and Boland found rhythm, the match swung completely in Australia’s favor.

In the end, Head’s fearless century and Australia’s pace attack turned what looked like England’s advantage into a crushing defeat, leaving the visitors with plenty to think about for the rest of the series.