Travis Head scores century as Australia defeat England in Perth Test

Travis Head's 69-ball period successful Perth helps Australia instrumentality a 1-0 bid pb against England successful the Ashes.

Makeshift opener Travis Head smacked an explosive 69-ball period to powerfulness Australia to triumph successful a high-octane archetypal Ashes Test connected Saturday arsenic England meekly surrendered successful the Perth Stadium cauldron.

Chasing 205 to win, Head slammed 123 arsenic the hosts romped location connected the 2nd time by 8 wickets successful an electrical commencement to the five-match series. Marnus Labuschagne was not retired connected 51, and Steve Smith was connected two.

Recommended Stories

• list 1 of 2YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul dwarfed by Joshua successful heavyweight combat face-off
• list 2 of 2Barcelona instrumentality to Camp Nou arsenic they look Athletic Bilbao successful La Liga

Head’s heroics came connected the backmost of a blistering spell from the marauding gait brace Scott Boland and Mitchell Starc aft luncheon that prompted a stunning England collapse.

The tourists were cruising astatine 65-1 and gathering an ominous second-innings lead, but Boland and Starc near them reeling with 4 wickets successful arsenic galore overs.

A ruthless Boland accounted for Ben Duckett (28), Ollie Pope (33) and Harry Brook (0) successful the abstraction of 11 balls, past 2 deliveries later, Starc sent Joe Root packing for eight.

When Starc removed skipper Ben Stokes (2), England were flailing astatine 88-6 and the seasoned paceman had bagged a 10-wicket haul for lone the 3rd clip aft his archetypal innings 7-58, a career-best.

England were partially rescued by a important 50-run basal betwixt Gus Atkinson (37) and Brydon Carse (20) earlier being rolled for 164 astatine tea.

When they returned, Usman Khawaja again failed to amusement arsenic an opener arsenic helium battles backmost stiffness, with Australia signalling their intent by sending successful Head.

Head, who has opened 9 times antecedently successful Test cricket, rapidly got into his destructive rhythm, crunching immoderate beauteous boundaries, including large sixes disconnected Carse and Mark Wood.

He made it look easy, making a mockery of the struggles different batsmen had connected the bouncy track, bringing up his half-century successful 36 balls, passing 4,000 Test runs successful the process.

Looking to emulate him, debutant Jake Weatherald besides went connected the attack, but it outgo him, retired for 23 aft a mistimed propulsion changeable was taken by Ben Duckett disconnected Carse.

An unruffled Head kept the unit on, slamming 4 boundaries successful 1 Stokes implicit and sending a six backmost implicit the caput of Jofra Archer connected his mode to a 10th Test century.

He yet fell to Carse, going for different large hit.

Head deed 16 4s and 4 6s successful his 123 against England successful the 2nd innings [Asanka Brendon Ratnayake/Reuters]

Starc stars

Australia resumed connected a paltry 123-9 successful their archetypal innings and added conscionable 9 earlier Nathan Lyon was removed by Carse for 4 to permission England with a 40-run advantage.

Stokes was the prima of the show, claiming 5-23 disconnected conscionable 36 balls to springiness England a aureate accidental to triumph a Test successful Australia for the archetypal clip since the 2010-11 series.

They had each been retired for 172 astatine the hands of Starc connected time one.

Australia were banking connected the 35-year-old to emulate his exploits successful the 2nd innings, and helium whipped the sold-out Perth Stadium assemblage into a frenzy erstwhile helium removed Zak Crawley successful his archetypal over.

The seasoned consigned Crawley to a pair, diving to his near successful an unthinkable feat of athleticism for a memorable caught-and-bowled.

Duckett and Pope settled in, safely reaching luncheon astatine 59-1.

But Scott Boland began to find his radar erstwhile they returned.

Duckett edged to Steve Smith successful the slips, past Pope did the aforesaid to wicketkeeper Alex Carey earlier Brook repeated the feat to Khawaja.

After a archetypal innings duck, Joe Root was hopeless for runs, but helium was nary lucifer for the relentless Starc, dragging a heavy borderline onto his stumps to headdress a miserable commencement to the series.

Brendan Doggett past cleaned up Jamie Smith (15), Carse and Archer (5).

Australia’s Mitchell Starc celebrates aft taking the wicket of England’s Joe Root, right, successful the 2nd innings [Asanka Brendon Ratnayake/Reuters]