England captain Ben Stokes admitted he was stunned after his team’s eight-wicket defeat in the opening match of the Ashes 2025-26 against Australia at the Optus Stadium in Perth on Saturday, November 22. The experienced all-rounder said that the innings of aggressive batsman Travis Head was the turning point of the match.
England started the second day by taking the last wicket of Australia’s first innings. However, in the second innings he was out for just 164 runs. Head scored a brilliant century and ensured the victory of the home team. It was a tough day for Stokes, as he could not impact the match with either bat or ball.
A little bit shellshocked – Ben Stokes on Travis Head’s century
Ben Stokes said he was shocked by the defeat. He said that the players who succeeded were willing to take risks and none of their plans could stop Travis Head. Stokes described the mood as emotional and raw, noting that Head’s innings had completely weakened his side.
Stokes said, “A bit surprised. Quite brilliant from Head. Quite raw, quite emotional, but that was some brilliant innings. The guys who got through were really brave and took the game forward. If you find yourself in a position to come in, you’ve got to try and push on.”
“Travis blew us away out there. The guys who handled it and put their best bowlers under pressure have had success [surface]We tried three or four different plans for him, but when he’s going like a train, it’s very difficult to stop him,” he said,
Tough, as we thought we were in control – Ben Stokes
Ben Stokes said he would take some positives from England’s performance. He admitted that it would take time to process the defeat but also said that the Ashes series was not over yet with four Tests still remaining.
,[Positives] The way we bowled yesterday was amazing. A lot happened on the first day, it was a good day for the bowlers. Difficult, because we thought we were in control. Let this be over, but we have four more games. Long before Brisbane, we’ll go and graft,” Stokes said.
After the toss, England will prepare for the next match. The day-night second Test is to be played at Gabba, Brisbane from 4 to 8 December.
Travis Head completes century in 69 balls in Perth Test
Travis Head came out to chase the target when Australia needed 205 runs. He attacked from the very first over, forcing Ben Stokes to push the fielders back. The visiting team had no answer to Head’s counter-innings.
Head reached his century in 69 balls, the second fastest century in Ashes history behind Adam Gilchrist’s century in 57 balls in 2006. The left-handed batsman scored 123 runs in 83 balls, which included 16 fours and four sixes. He was out when Australia needed only 13 runs to win.
Marnus Labuschagne scored unbeaten 51 runs in 49 balls and maintained the pressure throughout the chase. Steven Smith then scored the winning runs and Australia won by eight wickets in just 28.2 overs. The much awaited match ended within two days.
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