Perth— Australia stamped their authority on the opening Ashes Test with an eight-wicket demolition of England at the Optus Stadium, finishing the match inside two days. Travis Head’s breathtaking 69-ball century and Mitchell Starc’s exceptional ten-wicket haul defined a contest that the hosts controlled from start to finish. With this victory, Australia moved 1-0 ahead in the five-match series.
Chasing 205, Australia came out with clear intent. Travis Head and Jake Weatherald launched the reply with fierce stroke play, signalling England were in for a long evening. Head’s ramp shots, bold pulls and fearless drives set the tone as Australia raced to 58 without loss in ten overs. Weatherald fell after a steady 23, but Head continued to dominate, reaching his fifty in just 36 balls.
The assault only intensified. Head punished England’s bowlers relentlessly, smashing boundaries at will and turning short bursts of pressure into scoring opportunities. He reached his hundred in 69 balls—the second-fastest century in Ashes history, bettered only by Adam Gilchrist’s iconic 57-ball ton in 2007 at the same ground. His 123 off 83 balls featured 16 fours and four sixes.
Marnus Labuschagne provided stability at the other end, adding a fluent 51 off 49 balls. The duo’s rapid century stand broke England’s resistance and erased any slim hopes of a fightback. Captain Steve Smith struck the winning runs as Australia closed out the chase in just 28.2 overs.
Earlier in the day, England were bowled out for 164 in their second innings after starting the session at 59/1. What followed was a collapse triggered by Scott Boland’s triple strike and Starc’s sustained hostility. England’s middle order fell in a heap, with Joe Root dismissed cheaply for the second time in the match. Only Gus Atkinson (37) and Brydon Carse (20) offered brief resistance, adding 50 runs for the eighth wicket before Australia wrapped up the innings.
Starc finished with three wickets in the second innings, completing a memorable ten-wicket haul in the Test. Boland backed him with an incisive 4/33, while Brendan Doggett contributed important breakthroughs.
England had earlier posted 172 in their first innings, with Brook (52) and Pope (46) offering the only notable contributions. Australia replied with 132, collapsing early before Ben Stokes’ five-wicket haul and Carse’s pace threatened to tilt the balance. But England’s advantage evaporated quickly once their batting faltered again on day two.
With a comprehensive win secured inside six sessions of play, Australia head into the second Test with commanding confidence and early control of the Ashes narrative.
