PERTH, (Reuters) – Makeshift opener Travis Head scored a brilliant 83-ball 123 to lift Australia to an astonishing eight-wicket victory inside two days against England today, powering his side to 205-2 late in the final session of the Ashes opener at Perth Stadium.
The manic style of cricket, which produced the shortest Ashes test by overs-bowled to deliver a result since 1888, kept the crowd enthralled as both sides gained and relinquished the ascendancy throughout.
England had set Australia a target of 205 after being bowled out for 164 by tea on day two, losing nine second-session wickets in the wake of a Scott Boland seam masterclass of four for 33. The tourists had made 172 in their first innings.
Head, taking the place of opener Usman Khawaja, who gingerly left the field in England’s 27th over with back trouble, got Australia’s run chase off to a rollicking start, giving England a taste of their own ‘Bazball’ medicine in the third session.
The near 50,000-strong crowd came to life when Head slashed Brydon Carse (2-44) for six over third man to bring up 50 for his side, and later roared their approval when he peeled four boundaries off Ben Stokes’ second over.
Marnus Labuschagne added an impressive 49-ball 51 after debutant Jake Weatherald (23) had fallen to Carse, but the moment belonged to Head, who brought up Australia’s equal-third fastest century with a risky upper-cut and a scurried single.
The fourth innings raced to a conclusion with Head clubbing four sixes and 16 boundaries before launching Carse to Ollie Pope at deep midwicket, hugging Labuschagne and soaking in the applause as he walked off.
Stand-in skipper Steve Smith, unbeaten on two, hit the winning run with a single punched to the off-side.
“Today was just incredible, wasn’t it?” said Smith.
“That innings from Travis Head was out of this world. He just played some outrageous shots, and even when he shanked it, he seemed to hit the gaps.
“It’s one of those days when you’re on, you’re on, and he made the most of it and got us home.”
England skipper Stokes agreed.
“I’m a little bit shell-shocked, I think that innings by Travis Head was pretty phenomenal,” he said.
“It’s quite raw, quite fresh at the moment, but sheesh that was some knock.”
England had quickly bowled Australia out for 132 to start the day, breaking the last-wicket partnership between Nathan Lyon and Brendan Doggett which added only nine to the side’s overnight score.
In a relatively sedate passage of play in the lead-up to lunch, the visitors added 59 for the loss of Zak Crawley, who suffered his second first-over duck of the match at the hands of spearhead Mitchell Starc, leading the attack in the absence of stalwarts Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood.
Boland, who stood up with 4-33 after going wicketless in the first innings, then ran rampant, breaking through in the second session when opener Ben Duckett was caught for 28.
The 36-year-old claimed two more in his next over, with Pope left punching his bat in frustration after being caught behind on 33 and Harry Brook trudging off for a three-ball duck having nicked to first slip.
One of the loudest roars of the day came when Joe Root, on eight, chopped-on Starc (3-55) from well outside off-stump.
Not even the boisterous support of the “Barmy Army” could lift the tourists, as Starc celebrated his first match-haul of 10 wickets in an Ashes test with a bouncy delivery that Ben Stokes, on two, popped to second slip.
On a painstaking review, Jamie Smith was adjudged to have feathered debutant Doggett (3-51) to keeper Alex Carey and England’s last recognised batsman walked off for 15 as the home side pressed their advantage.
Gus Atkinson and Carse put together a valuable 50-run partnership at the tail but Boland closed out the innings by having Atkinson caught in the deep for 37.
“We’ll obviously let this sink in,” Stokes added. “It obviously hurts, but we’ve got to get our head around (it) and move on to Brisbane and then hit the ground running there.”