Travis Head’s riotous 69-ball hundred smashed Australia to an eight wicket-wicket victory on a frantic second day of the first Ashes Test after England’s batting crumbled once again at Perth’s Optus Stadium.
Head (123 off 83 balls) led Australia to their target of 205 in 28.2 overs after being pushed up to open the batting as England’s pace bowlers lacked the potency and accuracy they found on day one and the movement their opponents had generated earlier on Saturday.
The tourists were shot out for 164 in their second innings following a startling collapse of 6-39 from 65-1, including a major wobble of 4-11 in 19 balls, with Harry Brook (0), Joe Root (8) and captain Ben Stokes (2) managing just 10 runs combined.
Head thumped Stokes for four fours, including three in a row, in a 17-run 17th over while Jofra Archer’s 19th was panned for 16 as the game slipped away from England, with Head dishing out his own brand of Bazball in a Test played in fast-forward as he smoked Australia’s joint third-fastest Test century.
England had been torpedoed for 172 and then reduced Australia to 123-9 on a 19-wicket opening day, with the home side eventually rolled for 132 early on the second morning.
Mark Wood looks on in anguish during day two in Perth
After England’s second batting meltdown of the game, Head dominated stands of 75 and 117 with Jake Weatherald (23) and Marnus Labuschagne (51no) respectively, crunching 16 fours and four sixes before he holed out off Brydon Carse with 13 runs required.
Labuschagne’s towering six off Root’s part-time off-spin moved the scores level while stand-in captain Steve Smith’s off-side single off Carse, who dismissed Weatherald and Head, wrapped up a remarkable win for the home side.
England have now lost 14 and drawn two of their previous 16 Tests in Australia since an innings victory at Sydney in January 2011 wrapped up a 3-1 series win under the captaincy of Sir Andrew Strauss.
Stokes’ side now need to regroup ahead of the day-night second Test in Brisbane from December 4, a game the hosts will hope to have captain Pat Cummins available for after the seam bowler sat out the series opener with a back complaint.
Head took England’s bowlers apart as Australia rushed to a 1-0 lead in the five-match Ashes series
More to follow…
