WATCH: Travis Head strikes 69-ball record century, sets new Test benchmark in Perth

Travis Head tore apart England’s attack and halted the Bazball momentum as he smashed a 36-ball fifty in the final innings of the first Ashes Test, before reaching a record 69-ball century on Saturday, November 22. He was asked to open at the last moment because Usman Khawaja wasn’t fully fit, and Australia couldn’t have hoped for a better result. After safely playing out the first over, Head shifted gears and kept attacking without slowing down.

Travis Head hit one of the fastest fifties in Ashes history, matching Kevin Pietersen for the joint-fourth fastest, while England’s Jack Brown still holds the record with a 34-ball half-century. Although he lost opening partner Jake Weatherald early, Marnus Labuschagne joined him at the crease and also looked eager to score. That’s when Head shifted into full attacking mode.

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100 off just 69 balls! Travis Head, what an innings! #Ashes | #MilestoneMoment | @nrmainsurance pic.twitter.com/oiV1QEneYp

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) November 22, 2025

Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes all faced the same result — none could stop Head, who went on to score a 69-ball century. It became the joint-third fastest Test hundred by an Australian and the second-fastest in Ashes history. His 69-ball ton was also the quickest ever in a fourth innings and the joint-fastest by an opener, leaving England stunned.

Head also broke Jonny Bairstow’s World Test Championship (WTC) record for the fastest century, beating it by eight balls. Australia cruised through the 205-run chase, and Head reached 4,000 Test runs during the innings.

Fastest Test centuries for Australia (balls faced):

57 – Adam Gilchrist vs England, Perth 2006
67 – Jack Gregory vs South Africa, Johannesburg 1921
69 – David Warner vs India, Perth 2012
69 – Travis Head vs England, Perth 2025

Fastest WTC centuries (balls faced):

69 – Travis Head (Australia) vs England, Perth 2025
77 – Jonny Bairstow (England) vs New Zealand, Nottingham 2022
80 – Harry Brook (England) vs Pakistan, Rawalpindi 2022
80 – Jamie Smith (England) vs India, Birmingham 2025

The game completely shifted in the second session, when England collapsed from 65/1 to 88/6, losing five wickets for just 23 runs, as Scott Boland and Mitchell Starc tore through their batting order. England needed to survive that session and rebuild later, but it never happened. Australia wrapped up the chase in only 28.2 overs, taking a 1-0 lead in the series.