Travis Head's ton stuns England as Ashes opener ends in two-day rout

The match on Saturday swung violently throughout, but Travis Head's superb 123 as a stand-in opener ensured Australia chased 205 with authority after a contest dominated by fast bowling.

England had appeared well placed at 65 for 1 before a brutal spell after lunch changed the match. Scott Boland ripped through the top order in a remarkable burst, removing Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope and Harry Brook in just 11 balls to flip the momentum.

Mitchell Starc then tightened the grip, dismissing Joe Root for eight and Ben Stokes for two to complete a ten-wicket haul for the match, building on his outstanding first-innings return of 7 for 58.

From 88 for 6, England required resistance and briefly found it through Gus Atkinson and Brydon Carse. Their 50-run stand, Atkinson making 37 and Carse 20, lifted England to 164, but Boland closed the innings with 4 for 33 while Starc finished with 3 for 55.

Earlier in the day, Australia had resumed on 123 for 9 and added only nine runs before Carse removed Nathan Lyon, giving England a 40-run first-innings lead. Stokes had led the way with an excellent 5 for 23 as England's seamers initially thrived on a lively surface.

But Australia's bowlers found even greater venom as conditions quickened. Once Boland broke England's second-innings start, Australia seized control and never looked back.

Head's commanding hundred, full of crisp drives and strong pulls, settled any nerves in the chase and underlined Australia's dominance.

England will now search for answers after suffering one of their quickest defeats in Ashes history, knowing they must recover rapidly if they are to keep alive hopes of ending their long wait for a Test series win in Australia.

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