First Ashes Test: Quick-fire Travis Head ton earns Australia famous win over embarrassed England in Perth

England embarrassed as Head onslaught gives Australia famous quick-fire win in first Ashes Test

Australia have inflicted one of England's most embarrassing defeats in their history with an eight-wicket victory inside two days in the first Ashes Test.

At stumps on day one in Perth, a late Ben Stokes five-wicket haul gave England a 49-run lead and they were 40 ahead once they had taken the last Australia wicket of their first innings.

However, in the space of 63 overs, England had lost the Test match, being bowled out for 164 in 34.4 overs before being powerless to prevent Travis Head from scoring the second-fastest Ashes Test hundred in history.

The Test was also wrapped up in the quickest time in Ashes history for 104 years, raising serious doubts as to how England respond when Australia are still to welcome two of their top-three pace bowlers back into the fold.

Not only were England humiliated by their fiercest rivals, they again collapsed from a promising position on a lively pitch, initially reaching 65-1 in their second innings and holding a 105-run lead at this point.

 

In the space of three overs, they had been reduced to 76-5. As well as Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope departing for 28 and 33 respectively, Harry Brook went for a third-ball duck and Joe Root made just eight after failing to trouble the scorecard in the first innings.

Mitchell Starc and Scott Borland were running rampant and it took a 50-run eighth-wicket stand from Gus Atkinson (37) and Brydon Carse (20) for England to post what they had hoped to be a target that Australia would struggle to reach.

Head etches himself into Ashes folklore

Despite 172 having been the biggest total in the first three innings, Australia took just 28.2 overs to chase down 205, Head producing an all-timer of a knock to etch himself into Ashes history.

 

Sixteen fours and four maximums were recorded in a monstrous 123 from just 83 balls, an innings that took just two hours and 16 minutes before he was dismissed by Carse - who took both Australia wickets - with just 13 runs still required.

Jake Weatherald (23) and Marnus Labuschagne (51*) also chipped in at the other end, but this Test belongs to Head and Starc, who ended with match figures of 10-113.

England are now left to ponder their next move ahead of the day-night Test in Brisbane which starts on December 4, there needing to be a period of reflection when they lost 20 wickets in 67.3 overs.

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