Summary

  • First Test, day two, Perth

  • Australia win by eight wickets to take 1-0 lead in five-match series

  • Head hits amazing 123 off 83 balls to lead hosts to astonishing win

  • England collapse from 65-1 to 164 all out in second innings to set only 205 for victory

  • Controversy around dismissal of England's Smith

  • Player ratings

  • Highlights available from 17:00 GMT on BBC iPlayer

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Live Reporting

by Timothy Abraham & Mike Peter

  1. champagne moment

    AUSTRALIA WIN BY EIGHT WICKETS

    Steve Smith punches Brydon Carse into the off side for four.

    Australia win the first Ashes Test in Perth by eight wickets and go 1-0 up in the series.

  2. Jonathan Agnew
    BBC Chief Cricket Commentator on Test Match Special

    The batting has been substandard. The shots England perished to were poor.

  3. 50 runs

    Fifty for Labuschagne

    Marnus Labuschagne skips down the pitch and hammers Joe Root down the ground for four - taking one hand off the bat in the process.

    A couple of balls later and Labuschagne dances again heaves Root for six over cow corner.

    Australia need one to win.

  4. Phil Tufnell
    Former England spinner on BBC Test Match Special

    It's not been a pulverising. It's only been a pulverising today and since lunchtime. We did so well yesterday and this morning but things just fell apart.

    In the blink of an eye it's just gone wrong.

  5. Jonathan Agnew
    BBC Chief Cricket Commentator on Test Match Special

    This has been a pulverising.

  6. How's stat?!

    Andy Zaltzman
    Test Match Special statistician

    That is Travis Head's third century in an Ashes series.

  7. Aus 192-2

    Ben Stokes decides to give his fast bowlers a break.

    Joe Root is thrown the ball.

    Steve Smith is the new batter.

  8. Phil Tufnell
    Former England spinner on BBC Test Match Special

    That's a special knock. No one else has really scored big but Head has come out like he's playing on a different pitch.

    Australia might have found their new opener.

  9. Jonathan Agnew
    BBC Chief Cricket Commentator on Test Match Special

    It's a good catch but the job is done. Everybody in the ground is applauding that innings, what a sensational knock. There's no other reaction to that.

  10. wicket

    WICKET

    Head c Pope b Carse 123 (Aus 192-2)

    Travis Head gets congratulated by England's players before lapping up the adulation of the crowd at the Perth Stadium.

    An incredible knock.

    It's brought to an end after he hit a bouncer from Brydon Carse high into the leg side and Ollie Pope steadies himself under the catch and clings on.

  11. Aus 192-1

    It feels like there's been three games in one during this Test.

    Travis Head wants to finish this with a flourish, and twice swipes Brydon Carse into the leg side for four.

    England are beat. Australia need 13 to win by nine wickets.

  12. Glenn McGrath
    Ex-Australia bowler on BBC Test Match Special

    England don't know what to do here. They're shellshocked.

  13. Jonathan Agnew
    BBC Chief Cricket Commentator on Test Match Special

    At the moment, if it's short, Travis Head is going to pull it. If it's pitched, he's going to drive it. There is no stopping him at the moment.

    Any hope of winning has been snatched from England.

  14. Aus 182-1

    Marnus Labuschagne anticipates a short ball from Gus Atkinson and swats it to the boundary for four in the manner of an angry teenager playing a smash in tennis.

    Later in the over, Travis Head backs picks up back-to-back boundaries in very different fashions.

    First he backs away and muscles Atkinson straight down the ground. Then Head shows his finesse and guides the England quick over the head of Joe Root at point.

    Labuschagne repeats his smash off the final ball of the over.

    Australia score 20 runs off the over. Ben Stokes puts a conciliatory arm around Atkinson.

  15. Aus 162-1

    Jofra Archer into his eighth over, but his body language is very much going though the motions. It's a stark contrast to Australia's first innings.

    Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne pick up a single apiece.

    Australia require 43 runs to seal victory.

  16. Srinivas Vijaykumar
    CricViz analyst

    Travis Head registers the joint-third fastest hundred for Australia in Tests and the second fastest hundred in Ashes Tests.

    Fastest Hundreds for Australia (by balls taken) in Tests:

    • 59 - Adam Gilchrist v ENG, Perth 2006
    • 67 - Jack Gregory v SA, Johannesburg 1921
    • 69 - David Warner v IND, Perth 2012
    • 69 - Travis Head v ENG, Perth Today
    • 78 - David Warner v PAK, Sydney 2017

    Fastest Hundreds (by balls taken) in Ashes Tests:

    • 59 - Adam Gilchrist (AUS), Perth 2006
    • 69 - Travis Head (AUS), Perth Today
    • 78 - Gilbert Jessop (ENG), The Oval 1902
    • 85 - Joe Darling (AUS), Sydney 1898
    • 85 - Travis Head (AUS), Brisbane 2021

  17. Thanks, Mike.

    Into the home straight in this first Ashes Test match, remarkably.

    Australia look like they are going to do this at a canter.

  18. Aus 160-1

    Target 205

    Australia's batters work Gus Atkinson around for six rounds.

    They need less than 50 now.

    Here's Timothy Abraham to take you to the close.

  19. Get Involved

    #bbccricket, via WhatsApp on 03301231826 or text 81111 (standard network charges apply)

    England will rightly get heavily criticised, but I don’t think preparation is the answer. For me it’s shot selection, plain and simple. Head has motored along in the manner I’d suggest England want to, but he’s picked the right shots to hit and the right time to hit. Think more please England!

    James in Sheffield

    All England had to do was knuckle down after lunch and they'd still be batting now on a flat pitch. Completely useless at reading situations.

    Glen in Leeds.

    Hope the media finally take off their blinkers and admit Baz and Ben are cult leaders who’ve never won a series against another country who actually cares about Test cricket.

    Joe in Park Gate

  20. How's stat?!

    Andy Zaltzman
    Test Match Special statistician

    This is the fastest either side has reached 150 in Ashes history.