By Krishna Dua 
Travis Head’s Blazing Knock Puts Australia in Command
Perth’s sun-scorched WACA Ground, a coliseum of cricket lore, witnessed a masterclass in audacious batting on December 5, 2025, as Travis Head’s explosive 198 not out off 228 balls catapulted Australia to a dominant position in the third Test against England, forging a 362-run first-innings lead that leaves the visitors teetering on the brink of defeat. The 32-year-old South Australian, striding out at 124 for 3 in the 42nd over with England captain Ben Stokes’ seamers sniffing for scalps, unleashed a torrent of boundaries and bravado that dismantled the Poms’ plans, transforming a precarious pitch into his personal playground. By the time Pat Cummins called time at 486 for 5 declared, Head’s innings—adorned with 24 fours and 3 sixes—had not only rescued the Baggy Greens but rewritten the Ashes script, putting Australia 2-0 up in the series after triumphs in Brisbane and Adelaide. “Travis Head didn’t play cricket; he conducted a symphony of savagery—his knock was the conductor that turned chaos into conquest,” raved former Australia opener Justin Langer on Fox Sports, as the 30,000-strong crowd chanted “Head! Head!” under the relentless Western Australian sun. With England limping to 32 for 3 by stumps—Stokes (8 not out) and Joe Root (0 not out) tasked with an improbable chase—Head’s blistering blade has all but sealed Australia’s Ashes retention, a performance that cements his evolution from fringe player to fulcrum of the team’s formidable middle order.
The third Test, the decider in a series already tilted Australia’s way, had simmered with tension after Stokes’ bold choice to bowl first on a green-tinged track under brooding skies. England’s attack, led by James Anderson’s wily swing and Chris Woakes’ probing lines, had the hosts in knots at 124 for 3 by lunch, with Marnus Labuschagne (32) and Usman Khawaja (40) falling to Anderson’s sorcery. Enter Head, promoted after a string of domestic fireworks, his arrival greeted by a Perth gale that seemed to fuel his fire. Facing the hat-trick ball from Woakes after Steve Smith’s duck, Head flicked it imperiously through square leg for four, a statement stroke that silenced the skeptics and signaled his supremacy. By tea, he had blazed to 92 off 108 balls, his pull shots pummeling the short ball like a pugilist’s punch.
Head’s Hurricane: From Rescue to Rampage
Travis Head’s 198 not out was a hurricane of calculated carnage, an innings that morphed from salvaging survival to scripting sovereignty. Resuming post-lunch at 52, Head zeroed in on England’s seamers with zonal zeal, driving Anderson through the covers for boundaries that bisected the field like laser lines. His century arrived off 150 balls—a 75-minute milestone—capped by a lofted six over long-on off Jack Leach’s left-arm spin, a shot that evoked Yuvraj Singh’s audacity. The 100-run stand with Alex Carey (72), forged in the afternoon session, neutralized England’s middle-overs maul, Head’s 120 runs off 130 balls at a strike rate of 92 showcasing his shot selection savvy.
The evening session was Head’s zenith: he plundered 118 runs off 98 balls, including a 60-ball fifty that featured 12 fours in an over against Mark Wood’s fiery follow-throughs. Wood, England’s 145 kph spearhead, hemorrhaged 0-115 in 22 overs, his bouncers battered by Head’s horizontal hooks that hoisted the ball into the Swan River stands. By the time Cummins strode in at 368 for 5, Head had shifted to overdrive, smashing Adil Rashid for two consecutive sixes— a 28-run over that tipped the Test irrevocably. Cummins’ unbeaten 52 off 58 balls complemented Head’s command, the duo adding 118 unbroken to declare, handing England a mountainous mountain to climb.
Head’s ledger is luminous: his 198 eclipses his prior Test best of 175 vs India in 2023, at a strike rate of 86.84—the quickest 150 in Ashes annals. Against pace, he amassed 138 runs off 150 balls at 92 strike rate; off spin, 60 off 78 at 77. “Head’s not a hitter; he’s a heat map—exploiting every error with erudite elegance,” marveled Michael Vaughan on BT Sport, as Head’s footwork—dancing to the pitch of Leach for drives—dissected England’s cordon.
England’s Eclipse: Stokes’ Strategy Sinks, Root’s Resolve Rises
England’s eclipse was a cascade of captaincy conundrums, their “Bazball” boldness boomeranging on a pitch that perked up under the sun. Stokes, 34 and skippering sans injury, faltered in fluctuating fields, persisting with pace after lunch when spin might have strangled. His 1-78 off 20 overs leaked at 3.9, a rate that emboldened Head’s assault. “We stuck to our strengths too stubbornly—pace was the prescription, spin the scalpel,” Stokes conceded post-play, his call to delay Rashid’s return costing 90 runs in the middle overs. Rashid, England’s mystery merchant, toiled 0-112 in 25 overs, his googlies groped by Head’s googly-proof game.
Innings interlude: England’s first dig disintegrated for 124, Anderson’s 5-32 the lone laurel, but Head’s hurricane doused hopes of a heroic heist. Their second innings sputtered: Rory Burns fell to Cummins for 10, Zak Crawley to Hazlewood for 15, leaving them 32 for 3—Stokes (8 not out) and Root (0 not out) to resume on Day 4. England’s openers, averaging 22 in the series, exposed the top-order turmoil that Head’s middle-order mastery magnificently masked.
Australian Ascendancy: Cummins’ Cool, Head’s Halo
Pat Cummins’ captaincy was a clinic in composure, his declaration at 486 for 5 a masterstroke that maximized morale and momentum. Retaining Head unbeaten preserved psychological punch, Cummins’ 52 off 58 a tidy tail that teased England’s frailties. “Travis was transcendental—his trust in the team turned our Test,” Cummins commended, his third-year leadership yielding 13 wins in 19 matches. Australia’s attack, spearheaded by Hazlewood (3-35) and Lyon (2-52), exploited England’s top-order travails, their 362-run lead a launchpad for victory.
Head’s halo extends beyond the hundred: his 2025 form—1,300 Test runs at 58 average—positions him as Australia’s middle-order messiah, his Adelaide upbringing a nod to Baggy Green grit. Teammates toasted: Smith dubbed him “the desert dominator,” Carey “my muse for the muse.”
Global Gaze: Ashes Echoes and Head’s Hallmark
The Head masterclass mesmerized the cricket cosmos, Ashes audiences spiking 28 percent to 160 million per ECB metrics. In England, Stokes’ reflection: “Travis taught us tempo—we’ll turn the tables.” India’s Virat Kohli tweeted: “Head’s hunger is hypnotic—Ashes’ answer to my fire.”
Head’s hallmark: from 2019’s Ashes average of 15 to 2025’s destroyer, his evolution embodies Australia’s adaptability. As Perth’s pitch hardens for Day 4, Head’s heat lingers—a knock that not only turned the game but torched the Test.