Travis Head etched his name into cricket history with a blistering 123 off 83 balls, smashing the fastest-ever century in the fourth innings of a Test match as Australia demolished England by eight wickets to claim the opening Ashes clash inside just two days at the WACA Ground. Promoted to open the chase of 205 on a tricky pitch that had claimed 28 wickets across the match, Head unleashed 16 fours and four sixes in a ferocious knock, reaching his tonne in a record 69 deliveries—joint-third fastest in Test history and the quickest by an opener ever, matching David Warner's mark from 2012 at the same venue. The 31-year-old's explosive innings, his 10th Test hundred and third against England, propelled Australia to victory in a mere 28.2 overs, silencing a stunned English attack and handing the hosts a commanding 1-0 series lead.

Head's masterclass came after England's second collapse of the match, where they were skittled for 178 in their third innings despite a promising 99-run lead with one wicket down. Mitchell Starc spearheaded the rout with a career-best 10-wicket haul in an Ashes Test—the first by an Australian since Craig McDermott in 1991—finishing with figures of 5/60 in the second dig to go with his 5/78 from the first. Scott Boland bounced back emphatically with 4/45, while debutant Brendan Doggett impressed with 2/42, his five-wicket match tally underscoring Australia's depth in pace bowling. England's batters imploded dramatically, slumping from 76/2 to 76/5 in five balls before folding, with only Harry Brook's first-innings 52 offering any resistance in a low-scoring affair.

The match, which kicked off under overcast skies on Thursday, saw England win the toss and bat but crumble to 162 all out, courtesy of Starc's five-for and Pat Cummins' 3/33. Australia responded with 242, led by Head's gritty 42 in the first dig before his second-innings fireworks turned the tide. Marnus Labuschagne provided stout support in the chase, racing to an unbeaten 51 off 49 balls with his counter-attacking flair, while Steven Smith steered the side home with a composed 30 not out. Head's dismissal, holing out to Brydon Carse with just 13 needed, barely dented Australia's momentum, as Smith and Labuschagne guided them over the line.

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This emphatic win marks the second straight home Ashes opener dominated by Head, following his 152 at the Gabba in 2021-22, and underscores Australia's resurgence after a mixed white-ball year. For England, under new captain Ben Stokes, the capitulation revives ghosts of their 4-0 drubbing Down Under three years ago, with questions swirling over their batting fragility against elite pace on seaming tracks. As the series heads to Adelaide for the pink-ball Test, Head's "Miyan Magic"—a nod to his clutch performances—has set a tone of Australian invincibility, while England must regroup to avoid an early series rout in the oldest rivalry.

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