England faced a tough defeat as Travis Head’s outstanding performance led Australia to their first victory in the Ashes series. Head, who was moved up the order due to an injury to Usman Khawaja, played a pivotal role as Australia chased down 205 runs to win after England were dismissed for 164 in their second innings.
Ben Stokes and his team showed resilience against Australia on the first day, despite being bowled out for 172 on a pitch favoring the batsmen. The visitors fought back admirably against the host team at the Optus Stadium, setting up an intriguing contest for the following day.
Stokes’ five-wicket haul left Australia struggling at 123 for 9 at the start of the next day’s play. Although Nathan Lyon and Brendan Doggett added some runs, England took a 40-run lead after both teams completed their innings.
England appeared in control initially but suffered a major collapse, losing nine wickets for 99 runs in the afternoon session. Travis Head’s exceptional batting display guided Australia to a comfortable victory.
The 31-year-old Head scored an impressive 123 runs off 83 balls, including 16 boundaries and four maximums. While England’s bowlers performed well in Australia’s first innings, they struggled to contain the opposition in the second.
In individual performances, Zak Crawley faced a disappointing outing with a pair, while Ben Duckett formed a solid partnership before England’s downfall. Ollie Pope contributed with the bat but fell at a crucial moment, and Joe Root couldn’t make a significant impact. Harry Brook showed promise but failed in the second innings. Ben Stokes struggled against Head’s resilience, and Jamie Smith’s dismissal was controversial. Gus Atkinson’s brisk innings provided relief, and Brydon Carse made valuable contributions despite limited success. Jofra Archer’s pace dropped, and Mark Wood failed to pose a threat as usual.