Travis Head’s riotous 69-ball hundred smashed Australia to an eight wicket-wicket victory on a frantic second day of the primary Ashes Take a look at after England’s batting crumbled as soon as once more in Perth.
Head (123 off 83 balls) led Australia to their goal of 205 in 28.2 overs after being pushed as much as open the batting as England’s tempo bowlers lacked the efficiency and accuracy they discovered on day one and the motion their opponents had generated earlier on Saturday.
The vacationers had been shot out for 164 of their second innings following a startling collapse of 6-39 from 65-1, together with a significant wobble of 4-11 in 19 balls, with Harry Brook (0), Joe Root (8) and captain Ben Stokes (2) managing simply 10 runs mixed.
Head thumped Stokes for 4 fours, together with three in a row, in a 17-run seventeenth over whereas Jofra Archer’s nineteenth was panned for 16 as the sport slipped away from England, with Head allotting his personal model of Bazball in a Take a look at performed in fast-forward as he smoked Australia’s joint third-fastest Take a look at century.
England had been torpedoed for 172 after which decreased Australia to 123-9 on a 19-wicket opening day, with the house aspect ultimately rolled for 132 early on the second morning.
After England’s second batting meltdown of the sport, Head dominated stands of 75 and 117 with Jake Weatherald (23) and Marnus Labuschagne (51no) respectively, crunching 16 fours and 4 sixes earlier than he holed out off Brydon Carse (2-44) with 13 runs wanted at Optus Stadium.
Labuschagne’s towering six off Root’s part-time off-spin moved the scores stage whereas stand-in captain Steve Smith’s off-side single off Carse, who dismissed Weatherald and Head, wrapped up a outstanding win for the hosts.
England have now misplaced 14 and drawn two of their earlier 16 Checks in Australia since an innings victory at Sydney in January 2011 wrapped up a 3-1 sequence win below the captaincy of Sir Andrew Strauss.
Stokes’ aspect now have to regroup forward of the day-night second Take a look at in Brisbane from December 4, a recreation the hosts will hope to have captain Pat Cummins out there for after the seam bowler sat out the sequence opener with a again criticism.
Head took England’s bowlers aside as Australia rushed to a 1-0 lead within the five-match Ashes sequence
A tough day for England in Perth
England started day two in management, main by 49 after the captain’s five-wicket haul on the earlier night, and Australia had been solely ready so as to add 9 runs to their whole earlier than Brydon Carse (2-45) had Nathan Lyon (4) caught by Ben Duckett at gully.
No 11 Brendan Doggett ended seven not out from 30 balls in his maiden Take a look at knock after being dropped by Ollie Pope at brief leg.
England, subsequently, took a lead of 40 into their second innings and, as soon as Zak Crawley bagged his second first-over duck of the sport after being beautifully caught one-handed by Mitchell Starc off his personal bowling, Pope (33) and Duckett (28) prolonged that benefit to 105 – earlier than the batting crumbled after lunch.
Scott Boland (4-33) was far too full on Friday whereas recording figures of 0-62 from 10 overs however discovered his size 24 hours later and had Duckett, Pope and Brook caught by both wicketkeeper Alex Carey or the slip fielders as Australia rallied.
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Sky Sports activities’ Michael Atherton dissects England’s batting toils within the second innings,, together with an enormous collapse of 6-39
Starc, in the meantime, accounted for Root and Stokes for the second time within the recreation as he accomplished his third 10-wicket haul in Checks after his first-innings seven-for – in England’s second dig, Root chopped on the drive and Stokes snicked a magnificence to slide.
The guests had been reeling on 104-7 and main by solely 144 when Jamie Smith (15) – who had been dropped on one by Usman Khawaja within the cordon – was controversially given out caught behind down the leg-side off Doggett (3-51) after an Australia overview.
TV umpire Sharfuddoula Saikat took round 5 minutes earlier than deciding that the spike on Snicko was bat on ball, regardless of preliminary photographs suggesting the occasions didn’t line up – Smith had already began to stroll off so might have felt he clipped the ball anyway.
Gus Atkinson (37) and Carse (20) revived England with an eighth-wicket stand of fifty from 36 balls, hitting two sixes apiece, earlier than Doggett and Boland took the ultimate three wickets between them with Carse, Archer (5) and Atkinson caught on the slog.
Then it was over to Head.
Australia skittled England for 164 of their second innings at Optus Stadium
Ashes sequence in Australia 2025-26
All occasions UK and Eire
- First Take a look at (Perth): Australia beat England by eight wickets
- Second Take a look at (day/night time): Thursday December 4 – Monday December 8 (4am) – The Gabba, Brisbane
- Third Take a look at: Wednesday December 17 – Sunday December 21 (11.30pm) – Adelaide Oval
- Fourth Take a look at: Thursday December 25 – Monday December 29 (11.30pm) – Melbourne Cricket Floor
- Fifth Take a look at: Sunday January 4 – Thursday January 8 (11.30pm) – Sydney Cricket Floor
