Stuart Broad Crowns Travis Head’s Match-Winning Century as ‘One of the Greatest Ever’ Ashes Knocks

Travis Head steered Australia to victory by building key partnerships of 117 runs with Marnus Labuschagne, and 75 runs with Jake Weatherald.

Stuart Broad Crowns Travis Head’s Match-Winning Century as ‘One of the Greatest Ever’ Ashes Knocks

Stuart Broad praised Travis Head's knock in the final innings of the Australia-England Ashes opener. (via India Today)

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At the end of the 2025-26 Ashes opener in Perth, the Three Lions were left stunned, with Australian star Travis Head leading his side to an impressive eight-wicket victory. Former England icon Stuart Broad even went to the extent of labelling Head’s innings as one of the ‘greatest’. 

Australia went 1-0 up the five-match Test series against England, at the Optus Stadium in Perth. The home side started the match on the front foot, dismissing the visitors for a first innings total of just 172 runs. Harry Brook finished as the top scorer, scoring 52 runs off 61 deliveries. For the Aussies, Mitchell Starc was on fire, picking up his 17th five-wicket haul, as he finished with career-best figures of 7/58. 

Despite holding an advantage over their rivals, Australia faltered in batting, managing only 132 runs in 45.2 overs, 40 runs behind England’s first innings total. The Aussie batters were no match to Ben Stokes’ abilities, as the English red-ball skipper took a fabulous five-wicket haul.

England, coming out to bat on the second day, were already 100 runs in front with nine wickets in hand, at lunch. However, the following half hour saw them lose four wickets, as they ended their second innings with 164 runs.

With Australia needing 205 runs for victory, Travis Head stepped up. The 31-year-old replaced the injured Usman Khawaja in opening, and went on to smack a half-century off just 36 deliveries in a fierce display of power-hitting. Head completed his hundred off 69 balls, hitting an astonishing 16 fours and four sixes to finish with 123 off 83 balls, as he led his side to victory within 28.2 overs, with eight wickets in hand. 

While Travis Head did not win the Player of the Match award for his masterful innings, it was widely praised by critics and former players. Ex-England pacer Stuart Broad, while commentating for Channel 7, sung praise for Head, labeling his innings as one of the greatest-ever in Ashes history, as well as lauding the home side’s competitive spirit, grit and skill, in staging a comeback.

Travis Head, really, has played one of the greatest Ashes innings of all time. England had no answers. That is a powerful win.

Not just Broad, but former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting also termed it as the finest Ashes moment. Ponting even likened Head’s innings to an iconic last-ball hundred scored by former captain Steve Waugh, while hobbling on one leg in the final Ashes Test at the Oval in 2001.

Travis Head’s 123-run innings against England breaks century-old Test record

Australian batting star Travis Head had his say on the final day of the team’s Ashes opener against England, in Perth, as he finished with an individual score of 123 runs off just 83 balls. The 31-year-old shattered a number of records, including a century-old milestone. 

Travis Head
Travis Head shattered numerous records, following his recent display against England.(vai. India Today)

Head’s 69-ball ton created a new world record, as it became the fastest century in the longest format of the game, in a final innings chase. The Aussie star’s century went past a 123-year-old record held by Gilbert Jessop, which came off 76 balls against Australia in 1902. Travis Head strike-rate of 148.19 throughout his innings in Perth, is also the highest for any centurion in Test cricket while chasing.

Travis Head made it past several milestones, as he equaled David Warner and Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s record for the third-fastest Test centuries, off just 69 balls. Coming to the team records, the 2025-26 series opener between England and Australia is also the first in over 100 years that an Ashes match has ended in two days time, given the last time such an occurrence took place in Nottingham in 1921. 

Furthermore, it was also the third shortest Test match in terms of balls bowled, in an Ashes contest. 847 balls were bowled in total across the two days of play, with an Old Trafford Test match from 1888 holding the top spot as the shortest Ashes Test, with 788 balls bowled. 

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