England fall apart as brutal Head gives Australia opening Ashes win

England went down to a crushing defeat in the first Ashes Test as Travis Head’s blistering century completed an astonishing Australia fightback in Perth.

In the first two-day Ashes Test since 1921, Head dismantled the England attack with the second-fastest Ashes hundred of all time, made off only 69 balls.

Head’s 123 led Australia to their target of 205 in only 28.2 overs – just a session of batting. An eight-wicket victory puts the home side 1-0 up in the five-match series.

It was a devastating and rapid turnaround by Australia, who gave up a first-innings lead of 40 and were 105 behind when England reached 65-1 just after lunch.

Led by Mitchell Starc’s 10-wicket haul, helped by some awful visiting batting, and then pulling off a masterstroke in promoting Head up the order, Australia extended English pain in this country. The record stands at 14 defeats and two draws in 16 Tests since 2011.

England lost six wickets for 39 runs in 11 overs. A horror spell of 3-0 in six balls accounted for Ollie Pope, Harry Brook and Joe Root, ripping the guts out of the middle-order.

Though Gus Atkinson and Brydon Carse swiped a half-century stand, England were rolled over for 164 in 34.4 overs. They lost their last nine wickets for 99 runs.

Australia faced making the highest score of the match in order to win, only for Head to play one of the all-time great Ashes innings.

England were stunned. The pace bowlers that ran rampant over the Australia batters only 24 hours below were reduced to a rabble. The partisan crowd at Perth Stadium revelled in the chaos.

The only question was whether the game would bleed into a third day. But Head ensured England have extra time for a post-mortem before the second Test, a day-nighter in Brisbane, begins on 4 December.

Where do England go from here? They have suffered some soul-destroying defeats in Australia. This will be among the most painful of all time.

Everything was in England’s favour: their bowlers spooked Australia on day one, their batters had control on the second morning, and Australia were hit by injuries to Usman Khawaja and Nathan Lyon.

The way England unravelled was alarming in its speed and concerning for the rest of the series. Australia have not only become the first team to win a Test at this ground batting second, they have done it from behind in the game and without injured captain Pat Cummins.

Much talk will centre on the pitch and the clatter of wickets. At 847 balls bowled, this was the shortest completed Ashes Test since 1888.

The fact is, England were ‘Bazballed’ to defeat. When their batters tried to attack too early on the second afternoon, they let Australia back in. When Head gave England a taste of their own medicine, Stokes’ team wilted.

Perth was supposed to be England’s chance to start the tour with victory. Somehow, they must regroup for Brisbane, and the day-night conditions in which Australia hardly ever lose.

The decision to move Head up the order will go down as one of the great Ashes tactical moves.

Faced with having to replace Khawaja, just as they did in the first innings, Australia realised the best plan on the difficult Perth pitch was to attack. Left-hander Head, who has opened in the past, was moved up from number five with licence to play his natural game.

The outcome was sensational and, even at this early stage, could define the series. Head climbed into the England bowling, bringing debutant Jake Weatherald along for the ride.

Head backed off and scythed the ball through the off side. One of his four sixes, a slash over third man off Carse, was outrageous. England lost their line, somehow failing to locate the stumps or Head’s body.

Weatherald, who overturned being given caught behind off Jofra Archer on seven, miscued Carse to end an opening stand of 75, but it did not halt Australia’s momentum.

Marnus Labuschagne eased into the slipstream of Head, who by now was unstoppable. He clattered Archer baseball-style back over his head for another maximum.

The only quicker Ashes century, 57 balls, was made by Adam Gilchrist in this city – across the Swan River at the Waca 19 years ago. Given the context, this innings might well have surpassed it in terms of quality and the Perth Stadium rightly rose to acclaim Australia’s magnificent match-winner.

By the time Head skied Carse into the leg side, only 13 runs were needed. He left to a spine-tingling ovation, a lasting image from one of the most incredible Ashes Tests.

England had this game in their grasp at the beginning of the afternoon. Although Zak Crawley was athletically caught and bowled by Starc – out for the second time in 11 deliveries to become only the fourth England opener to return an Ashes pair – the tourists rebuilt.

In the calmest period of the match, Ben Duckett and Pope added 65, running well and nullifying the Australian threat. When Duckett poked the rejuvenated Scott Boland to second slip, pandemonium ensued.

Across six deliveries, the Test swung towards Australia in three England drives that competed to be the worst shot. Pope chased a wide one from Boland and Brook flashed an awful waft at the same bowler. In the next over, bowled by Starc, Root played an uncharacteristic force that resulted in a drag-on.

England barely recovered. Captain Ben Stokes edged to second slip to make Starc the first Australian bowler to take a 10-wicket haul in an Ashes Test since Shane Warne 20 years ago.

Jamie Smith was dropped by Khawaja on nought, then gloved Brendan Doggett behind. The England wicketkeeper was given out on a review that took an interminable amount of time, though probably reached the correct conclusion.

The tourists knew only one method: attack. Atkinson and Carse added 50 in 34 balls, crashing two sixes each. Australia were spooked, scattering fielders to all parts.

But Carse’s attempted scoop at Doggett was caught behind, Archer holed out and Atkinson found fine leg. England lost their last three wickets for 10 runs.