The England bowlers were rocked by Travis Head‘s scorching century in the fourth innings of the Perth Test. With eight wickets remaining, the home team quickly reached a goal of 205 runs in 29 overs. Australia now leads the five-match Ashes Test series 1-0 after this decisive victory.
After building a 40-run lead in the first innings, England would have been optimistic about their chances on a hot surface. But their poor showing in the second innings opened the way for the Australians, and Steve Smith and company made their longstanding enemies pay.
Head wasn’t meant to start the innings, but Usman Khawaja, the usual opener, had to be elevated after suffering a back spasm that kept him out of the game halfway through the Test match. With 16 fours and four sixes in a knock of 123 runs off just 83 balls, the 31-year-old was up to the challenge. By the time Brydon Carse finally fired Head, the writing was already on the wall.
According to legendary former England bowler Stuart Broad, the Three Lions ought to have attempted to bowl dot balls to Marnus Labuschagne at the opposite end and deliver singles to Head. For the second wicket, the left-right combination established a crucial 117-run partnership off just 92 balls.
In an interview with Australian radio station SEN, Broad stated, “They could have taken Travis Head off strike and prevented him from facing four or five balls per over when he was really going.”
The former cricket player who is now a broadcaster thinks that if England had kept Head off-strike, the flamboyant batsman could have been driven to do something outrageous, which could have ultimately led to his demise.
After forty minutes of doing that, he continued, “Travis Head gets tired of getting a single and tries something crazy and might get out.”
On December 4, Australia and England will play their second Test match. This will take place at The Gabba in Brisbane and will be a pink-ball match.
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