Stokes Praises Head’s Big Knock as England Faces Tough Questions

England captain Ben Stokes said he was shocked after Australia’s Travis Head smashed a brilliant 123 and turned the first Ashes Test into a one-sided finish. Australia beat England by eight wickets, wrapping up the match inside two days after a wild momentum swing in Perth.

England looked to be in control just after lunch. They had a lead of 105 with only one wicket down. But things fell apart fast. The team lost nine wickets for just 99 runs in another worrying batting collapse. Lower-order players Gus Atkinson and Brydon Carse added some important late runs, helping England set a target of 205. Still, it didn’t come close to stopping Australia.

Travis Head, filling in as an opener, came out swinging. He reached the second-fastest century in Ashes history and finished with 123. Marnus Labuschagne supported him with an unbeaten 51 as Australia chased the target in only 28.2 overs. England’s bowlers had no answers.

“A little bit shell-shocked,” Stokes admitted. “That Travis Head innings was some sort of phenomenal stuff… that was one smack.”

Even though Head’s performance was amazing, England’s batting collapse once again became the main talking point. Experts had already questioned England’s preparation for the series. Their only warm-up game was an internal match on a much slower pitch. On the quick Perth surface, England’s top order struggled badly with pace and good-length deliveries.

Ollie Pope, Joe Root, and Harry Brook all fell to risky drives. Australia bowled well, but the ball wasn’t doing anything special. England simply showed no patience, and it cost them again.

Stokes, however, refused to blame his batters. He said being positive was the only way to survive the tough conditions. “Anyone who tried to just block didn’t really have success,” he said. “You have to find ways to score on wickets that help the bowlers.”

Former England captain Michael Vaughan strongly disagreed. “The batting is really poor,” he said. “They’re all trying to just hit boundaries. I don’t see how they can win a big series playing like that.”

Stokes still tried to focus on the positives, especially England’s strong bowling performance on day one. With four Tests left, he said the team must learn quickly and move forward. “Let this sink in, get our heads right, and go from there,” he said.

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