• Home
  • Match Hub
  • Travis Head Outplays Bazball As Aus Beat Eng At Their Own Game In Dramatic Ashes Opener

Travis Head outplays ‘BazBall’ as AUS beat ENG at their own game in dramatic Ashes opener

Aakash Saini

Travis Head celebrating his 69-ball hundred [Source: AFP Photos]Travis Head celebrating his 69-ball hundred [Source: AFP Photos]

Australia pulverized England by eight wickets on Day 2 of the first Test to take a 1-0 lead in the 2025-26 Ashes series. Setting out to be a low-scoring thriller in Perth, firebrand Australian opener Travis Head doused all English hopes with a whirlwind century in the decisive innings of the match.

Here, we take a look at the entire highlights of Day 2 of the first Test of the 2025-26 Ashes series between Australia and England, as it panned out at the Optus Stadium in Perth on Saturday, November 22.

Mitchell Starc and Boland skittle England on Day 2

After Brydon Carse picked up his third wicket of the innings early in the morning on Day 2 to envelop Australia for 132, England assumed their second innings with a handy 40-run lead. However, the visitors failed to make the most of their halfway advantage, as opener Zak Crawley once again trembled in the first over for a duck against Mitchell Starc.

A brief 65-run partnership between Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope was followed by Starc and Scott Boland’s ruthless wicket-taking spree, as the two express pacemen soon had the visitors reeling at 88-6. Starc picked up three wickets in the innings to claim 10 for the match, while Boland sealed figures of 4-33. Debutant Brendon Doggett also bagged three tailenders as England folded up for just 164 in 34.4 overs.

Travis Head canes England to make a mess of a potential low-scorer

Chasing 205 in a hitherto low-scoring affair, Australian opener Travis Head decimated England at the top with a breathless century. The firebrand opener raced to his hundred from just 69 balls after losing partner Jake Weatherald to Brydon Carse early in the innings, whacking 123 from 83 deliveries in all with 16 fours and four cracking sixes.

Marnus Labuschagne at number three also punched out an unbeaten 51 from 49 balls with six fours and a six, while interim captain Steve Smith notched up the winning runs as Australia went 1-0 up in the 2025-26 Ashes Test series.