The first Ashes Test match between Australia and England finished in two days, with the hosts securing a win by 8 wickets at the Optus Stadium. Travis Head completely dominated the English team, scoring 123 runs off 83 balls in a run chase of 205 balls.

The southpaw hit 16 fours and 4 sixes as Australia took a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. England captain Ben Stokes was stunned and ran short of ideas in the fourth innings.

“I am a little bit shell-shocked. It was a pretty phenomenal innings from Head. It was some knock. The guys were really brave and took the game on. If you are in a good position, you try to go on. Travis has knocked the wind out of us. The guys who went after the bowlers and put the best bowlers under pressure have found success in Perth,” Ben Stokes said.

“We tried different plans, but when Head is in that kind of a form, he is hard to stop. The way we bowled in their first innings is a positive for us. We were phenomenal with the ball. A lot happened on the first day, which was a good day for the bowlers. It is a tough one for us as we were in control at one stage. Let this sink in, but we still have four matches left. A long time before the next match in Brisbane. We will go away and put in the work needed,” he added.

Earlier, England were dismissed for 164 runs in their second innings, which put Australia in the driving seat. None of the English batters scored a fifty, with Scott Boland (4 wickets), Mitchell Starc (3 wickets) and Brendan Doggett (3 wickets) giving their best with the ball.