AUS Vs ENG, 1st Test: Head Blasts 69-Ball Century To Steer Aussies To Victory - Watch

Travis Head slammed a stunning century in Australia's chase of a 205-run target on Day 2 of the first Ashes Test against eternal rivals England at Perth Stadium Saturday. It's a fourth-innings batting masterclass from one of the most destructive players in cricket.

Head's promotion to open the innings, forced or by design, was a bold tactical call from the hosts. His fearless stroke play -- pulls, drives, and cuts played with complete disdain -- decimated an all-pace England attack.

Statistically speaking, Head's 69-ball century is the second fastest in Ashes history, and joint-fastest by an opening batter in Test cricket. Of course, this is the fastest ever in the fourth innings.

He eventually holed out for 123 off 83 in the 27th over, but by that stage Australia were within touching distance of victory, requiring just 13 more runs. He was involved in stands of 75 in 69 with debutant and fellow opener Jake Weatherald, and 117 in 92 with Marnus Labuschagne for the second wicket.

The 31-year-old from Adelaide produced a knock that has turned a chaotic Test into a one-sided finish, surely, and Perth became his personal stage. His no-holds-barred assault for a 69-ball ton, achieved inside a session, effectively took the game away from the visitors.

The match itself had been a rollercoaster. But Head's knock mocked the fragility of batting on a surface where nineteen wickets had tumbled on the opening day.

In a contest where both sides had collapsed under pressure, his counterattack turned what could have been a nervy chase into a walk in the park, evidently.

Batting first, England were bowled out for 172 in their first innings, undone by Mitchell Starc's stunning seven-wicket haul. Australia then faltered to 132 all out, giving England a lead of 40 as both teams traded wicket for wicket on a fast and bouncy Perth top.

Even as batting became relatively easier, England's second innings offered little resistance, ending at 164 in 34.4 overs (they lasted 32.5 in the first essay), leaving Australia a target of 205. That total looked competitive given the carnage earlier, but Head's innings ensured it was anything but.

The talking points are clear: the extraordinary collapse on Day 1, England's exemplary fightback only to squander the advantage, and Head's audacious century that changed the course of the match.

The two teams will resume the Ashes rivalry at The Gabba, Brisbane, starting December 4. But Ben Stokes & Co. will first play a customary warm-up match, scheduled bizarrely after the tour opener, at Manuka Oval, Canberra, against Prime Ministers' XI from November 29.