The greatest innings from Australia star Travis Head flattened England at Perth Stadium, and it will define this series.

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Head grabbed a few cannons to get in, then fired in all directions. He skinned a man over six overs in three overs to reach 50 and hit another pull shot straight to the ground off Jofra Archer as he closed out a century. Ben Stokes, who had so much to say, was left speechless for a moment as Weatherald walked towards the centre.

“I was a bit shocked,” Stokes said later. “It’s pretty phenomenal from Head. It’s pretty raw, pretty emotional, but that was a bit of a puncher.”

“The guys that made it through were really brave and kept playing. If you find yourself in position to go in, you’ve got to try and keep going. Travis took the wind out of us at that point.”

All this did was to underline another truth. While England’s pace attack has been put together with great care and attention to detail, and has brought together a group of fast, committed and relentless fast bowlers, the batting line-up is anything but.

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An interesting aspect of the cricket played under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum is that the bowling is generally both intelligent and disciplined. In 2023, his bowlers continued to ask awkward questions about Australia on flat pitches, eventually spoiling the touring team’s batting against collapses that secured a 2-2 series draw at Headingley and the Oval.

As Brydon Carse said after the first day, the bowling group was united in the awareness that it was not just pace but relentless pressure that would kill Australia.

In contrast, England’s approach to batting is largely based on flick, for lack of a better term. Harry Brook, Stokes’ deputy and a prodigious talent, told those close to him that his game plan might revolve around his simple desire to stop the bowlers from attacking his stumps.

It’s true that this approach has paved the way for some incredible displays in four years: Brook, Joe Root, Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Stokes and Jonny Bairstow have all contributed centuries in what could be considered the standout packages.

But there was broad recognition both within and outside the England team that this series would require something bigger and more nuanced if Stokes was to join Douglas Jardine and Ray Illingworth as the only England captains to win back the Ashes on Australian soil.

It was an ideal opportunity to show off this improvement, which was superbly saved by the bowlers on the first evening. Instead Ollie Pope, Brook and Root jumped like mice into the trap of trying to drive in Perth.

There were some innocent dismissals around them. Duckett and Stokes were sent off for movement and leaping on the excellent line from Scott Boland and the superb Mitchell Starc respectively. These will happen in Test cricket, especially on a live ground like this.

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However, when accompanied by the uncontrolled urge to drive early, they bring the recipe for the kind of collapse that has dragged Australia back into the Test match.

After six wickets fell for 39 runs, it took a 50-run stand between Carse and Gus Atkinson to extend the innings and extend England’s lead to 200.

Their partnership showed that it was possible to make proactive decisions with slightly less risk than trying to bowl long balls. They also showed that England went into the match ranked lower than Australia for the first time in several years.

The roars that accompanied another rush through the gates in a packed stadium had a gladiator feel. Another near-soldout crowd is expected on Sunday, but there’s no guarantee there’ll be much cricket left in this match by then.

England’s entertaining brand of Test cricket is compulsory viewing. “Bazball” should share equal billing Slow Horses For the funniest miniseries to come out of the UK since COVID.

But to win the Ashes on Australian soil, batsmen will need to take a few more cues from their bowlers. Saturday’s game was more River Cartwright’s game than Jackson Lamb’s, and it was up to Travis Head to provide the popcorn.

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