Head blitz and England collapse hands stunning win to Australia: 1st Test, Day 2 (Perth)

Mitch Starc and Travis Head dominated as Australia emphatically crushed England to secure an 8‑wicket victory in just two days.

England, having been bowled out for 172 in their first innings, managed 164 in the second, failing to set a challenging target. Starc’s relentless pace yielded a ten‑wicket match haul, while Scott Boland’s incisive bowling triggered England’s second-innings collapse.

Travis Head, stepping in for an injured Usman Khawaja, blazed a counter-attacking 69 ball century (123 off 83 balls) to guide Australia to a comfortable chase.

The match was remarkable not only for its brevity—the shortest Ashes Test since 1888—but also for Australia’s aggressive style, signaling early psychological dominance in the series and leaving England with serious tactical and morale challenges.

Australia 132 and 205 for 2 (Head 123, Labuschagne 51*, Carse 2-44) beat England 172 and 164 (Atkinson 37, Boland 4-33, Starc 3-55) by eight wickets.

Nov 2025.