Image Credit- ESPN CricInfo.
Venue: Perth Stadium, Perth.
Ashes 2025-26 was one of the most anticipated test series. The media hype was at its peak. Everyone had just one question in mind – will Bazball work Down Under? It is interesting to note that it was only after the humiliating 0-4 defeat to Australia in the 2021-22 Ashes Series which propelled the English management to make radical changes to their philosophy pertaining to test cricket. Kiwi legend Brendon McCullum was appointed as the England Test Coach in the summer of 2022, with Ben Stokes as the new English Test Captain. The duo revolutionised the way Test cricket was to be played now. Bazball became the talk of the town as the English adopted an aggressive and attacking style of play. But the question was, will this philosophy work in Australia? After all, it failed badly in India. However, the English batsmen before the series were in red-hot form, with the Aussies missing out on their key pacers, including Captain Cummins. As a result, there was a belief among many that the English can possibly win the Ashes down under after 15 long years.
The eyes were all set for the first test, which took place in Perth. English Captain Ben Stokes won the toss and decided to bat first upon a pitch which had bounce and pace. Mitchell Starc bowled the first over of the game, and boy, what happened next was something which set the place alive. Starc dismissed Crawley in the very first over and set the tone for the Aussies from the first over itself. The English did manage to get a few partnerships in between, but they looked clueless in front of Mitchell Starc, who picked up 7 wickets in the first innings as the English were bowled out for just 172 in 32.5 overs. It is interesting to note that apart from Harry Brook, no other batsman was able to cross the 50-run mark. Something which is hard to believe.
However, in response, the English fought back hard as they bundled Australia out for just 132 in the first innings. Captain Stokes led from the front as he picked up 5 crucial wickets, with England managing to get a crucial 40-run lead. But, just like in the first innings, Mitchell Starc dismissed Crawley for a duck in the very first over and shifted the momentum towards the hosts.
The English, in the process of getting quick runs, kept on losing wickets and were bowled out for 164 runs in 34.4 overs. Scott Boland picked up 4, whereas Starc and Doggett were able to pick up 3 wickets each. The match was indeed on a knife-edge. A target of 205 appeared to be a tricky chase. Moreover, the injury to Khawaja also raised the question of who will open the innings along with Weatherald. Marnus Labuschagne did open in the first innings, but he is not a regular opener. So there was confusion all around.
This is when Captain Smith made one of the bravest calls. He sent Travis Head to open the innings along with Weatherald, and what happened next is history. Travis Head played one of the most destructive innings in the history of Ashes Cricket and single-handedly took his side home. The target of 205 was chased down in just 28.2 overs as Head scored an incredible 123 off just 83 deliveries. In an innings which lasted for around 2 hours, Head just demolished the English pace attack. It was indeed explosive cricket. It is pertinent to note that on a wicket where batsmen were struggling to survive, Head hit a total of 16 boundaries and 4 sixes. It was truly a masterclass.
The crowd in Perth were up and roaring for Travis Head, who entertained the crowd with BazBall – no, TravBall. The Aussies were 1-0 up in the series just after 2 days, with English morale getting dashed in the very beginning itself. Despite dominating for most of the part of the match, they ended up losing yet another test match. Mitchell Starc was awarded the player of the match award for picking up 10 wickets in the match. However, it was TravBall which became the talk of the town after the first test.
To watch the highlights of this test, click on the URLs below.
To watch the innings of Travis Head, Click Here.
To watch the spell of Ben Stokes, Click Here.
To watch the spell of Mitchell Starc, Click Here.
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