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Ben Stokes ‘shell-shocked’ by Travis Head's 69-ball century: ‘He went like a train and took the wind out of us’
Ben Stokes expressed shock over Travis Head's explosive 123 off 83 balls, leading Australia to an eight-wicket win in the first Ashes Test.
England captain Ben Stokes admitted he was left “a little bit shell-shocked” after a blistering 69-ball century from makeshift opener Travis Head propelled Australia to an eight-wicket victory in a frantic first Ashes Test at Perth Stadium on Saturday.
Chasing 205 for the win, Australia stormed to the target on day two as Head smashed a breathtaking 123 off 83 balls — the fastest ever Ashes century by an opener — to seize control of a match that had see-sawed dramatically over its first three sessions. Marnus Labuschagne finished unbeaten on 51, with Steve Smith on two, as Australia took a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.
Stokes could only praise Head’s extraordinary assault, which turned England’s hopes of a rare away Test win into rubble.
“Little bit shell-shocked there, Travis Head was phenomenal, jeez that was some knock,” Stokes said after the defeat. "I guess when you look at how the game unfolded, the batters who had success were the ones who were brave and took the game on.
“We tried three or four different plans there, he was going like a train. The runs were coming through quickly — he is really hard to stop when he plays like that. That knock from Travis knocked the wind out of us. I’ve seen Travis play a lot across red and white ball cricket, he’s very hard to stop when he gets into that kind of rhythm,” Stokes added.
Head was promoted to open in place of the back-stiffness-stricken Usman Khawaja, and embraced the role with a stunning counter-attack. He hammered boundaries at will, launching big sixes off Brydon Carse and Mark Wood, and reached a half-century in just 36 balls while also passing 4,000 Test runs. His tenth Test hundred was reached in 69 deliveries, as he repeatedly took on England’s short-ball plans and punished anything over-pitched.
“Wow, what a couple of days. It’s been unbelievable,” Head said. “They were seriously good out there yesterday and started to drag it back, so we knew we couldn’t afford to let the game slip. To be able to contribute the way I did, it feels pretty special.”
Australia’s charge came after their bowlers — led by Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland — had earlier ripped through England’s second innings to seize back the momentum. England were comfortably placed at 65-1 before Boland triggered a collapse of four wickets in as many overs. He removed Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope and Harry Brook in the space of 11 balls, before Starc dismissed Joe Root two deliveries later.
Starc then removed Stokes for two to complete a 10-wicket match haul — only the third of his career — following his first-innings 7-58. England, who had held a 40-run lead after bowling Australia out for 132, were eventually bundled out for 164 despite a vital 50-run stand between debutant Gus Atkinson and Brydon Carse.
Stokes, who collected an impressive 5-23 in Australia’s first innings, rued the missed opportunity but insisted England must move on quickly.
“The way we bowled yesterday was phenomenal — 19 wickets fell in a day,” he said. “We’ve got four games to go, we have to let it sink in, then move on and think about the next game in Brisbane. Long time before that game starts; everybody will put the hard yards in.”
Australia will head to Brisbane buoyed by a dominant finish, while England regroup after watching a golden opening slip away in a whirlwind two-day Test.
