The Ashes Recap: Australia claim 1-0 lead after remarkable turnaround in Perth

Channel 7’s Justin Langer has declared Travis Head’s hundred “one of the greatest ever Ashes innings”.

“Earlier I made the comparison of Travis Head to Adam Gilchrist,” Langer said after Head brought up three figures.

“We remember when Gilchrist scored that hundred at the WACA (in 2006). That was one of the all-time greatest.

“We’ve just seen probably one of the greatest ever Ashes innings by this man on the screen. Take a bow, Travis Head. Great leadership, great skill, great innings.”

“He’s just fried the England plans,” Aaron Finch added.

While all the attention will rightfully be on Travis Head, his batting partner Marnus Labuschagne has proven an able foil in a second-wicket partnership now worth 85.

Back in his preferred position of No.3, the Queenslander has kept the strike ticking over with 26 from 34 balls, including three boundaries.

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Travis Head has brought up a quite remarkable hundred from only 69 balls by dabbing Gus Atkinson into some vacant territory on the off side.

Moved to the top of the order from No.5 to cover for the unavailable Usman Khawaja, the South Australia left-hander has slapped 12 boundaries and four sixes in his whirlwind knock, which is the equal-sixth quickest century in Test history.

The next best score in the game is Harry Brook’s 52 in England’s first innings.

The century is the 10th of Head’s Test career, nine of which have come in Australia.

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Another pair of boundaries off Gus Atkinson has moved Travis Head to 92 from only 63 balls, putting him within reach of a remarkable hundred.

England look completely bereft of ideas, with captain Ben Stokes looking down at the ground with his hands on his knees between balls.

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Ben Stokes has pulled himself from the attack and turned back to his trump card Jofra Archer.

But his introduction has not slowed Australia’s batters, with both Marnus Labuschagne and Travis Head taking a boundary from the first over of his second spell.

And Head saved his best for the final ball of the over, belting Archer back over his head for his fourth six, which brought up a 50-run partnership with Labuschagne.

England’s talisman - who recently returned from an injury-enforced four-year absence from Test cricket - does not look to be operating anywhere near his top pace.

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Australia’s makeshift opener Travis Head is well and truly giving England’s Bazballers a taste of their own medicine.

After Ben Stokes gave away only one run in his first over, Head smashed four boundaries from his second in a passage of play which may have broken the chase open, moving along to 68 from only 50 balls.

Australia are now more than halfway to their target of 205.

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Ben Stokes has seen enough from the rest of his seam attack, with the England captain introducing himself into the fray in the 15th over.

He claimed five wickets in the first innings and the visitors may need him to have a similar impact if they are to get themselves back into a contest which is rapidly slipping away.

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Marnus Labuschagne has started nicely, hitting his first boundary - which is no mean feat on a slow outfield - by clipping Brydon Carse through midwicket before following up in similar style to collect three more.

Carse prized England’s only wicket of the innings so far but has given away 33 runs in his four-over spell.

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Travis Head has justified his elevation to the top of Australia’s batting order by hitting a fine half-century from only 36 deliveries.

He was chosen to open the batting with Usman Khawaja unavailable due to spending too much time off the field towards the end of their second bowling innings.

The left-hander has struck three sixes and the same number of boundaries in his up-tempo knock.

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The visitors have got the breakthrough they desperately needed, with Jake Weatherald departing for 23.

The debutant tried to pull a Brydon Carse short ball which was not quite there for the shot, offering a catching opportunity which was taken by Ben Duckett.

The life of new batter Marnus Labuschagne may prove easier than in the first innings, with the Queenslander back to his preferred position of No.3.

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