Ben Stokes ‘Shellshocked’ after Travis Head’s stupendous 69-ball century in Ashes opener

England captain Ben Stokes admitted he was left stunned after the team’s eight-wicket loss in the Ashes 2025-26 opener against Australia at the Optus Stadium in Perth on Saturday, November 22. The veteran all-rounder stated that swashbuckling batter Travis Head’s knock was the turning point of the match.

England began the second day by removing the final wicket in Australia’s first innings. However, they were bowled out for just 164 in the second innings. Head scored a brilliant century and sealed a victory for the home team. It was a tough day for Stokes, as he couldn’t make an impact on the match with bat or ball.

Little Bit Shellshocked - Ben Stokes On Travis Head's Century

Ben Stokes said that he was shellshocked by the defeat. He added that the players who succeeded were the ones willing to take risks, and none of their plans could contain Travis Head. Stokes described the mood as emotional and raw, noting that Head’s innings completely deflated his side.

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"Little bit shellshocked. Pretty phenomenal from Head. Pretty raw, pretty emotional, but that was some knock. The guys who had success were really brave and took the game on. If you find yourself in the position of getting in, you have to try and go on," Stokes said.

"Travis has knocked the wind out of us there. The guys who took it on and put their best bowlers under pressure found success on that [surface]. We tried three or four different plans to him, but when he's going like a train, he's very hard to stop," he added.

Tough One, As We Felt We Were in Control - Ben Stokes

Ben Stokes said that they would take some positives from England’s performance. He admitted that the loss would take time to process but added that the Ashes series is far from over, with four Tests still ahead.

"[Positives] The way in which we bowled yesterday was phenomenal. A lot happened on day one, a good day for the bowlers. Tough one, as we felt we were in control. Let this sink in, but we've got four more games. Long time before Brisbane, we'll go away and put in the graft," Stokes stated.

England will prepare for the next match following the toss. The day-night second Test is set to be played at the Gabba in Brisbane from December 4 to 8.

Travis Head Reaches Century Off 69 Balls in Perth Test

Travis Head entered the chase with Australia needing 205 runs. He attacked from the very first over, forcing Ben Stokes to push fielders back. The visitors had no answer to Head’s counterattacking knock.

Head reached his century off 69 balls, the second-quickest in Ashes history, behind only Adam Gilchrist’s 57-ball hundred in 2006. The southpaw hammered 123 off 83 balls, including 16 fours and four sixes. He was dismissed when Australia needed only 13 runs to secure the victory.

Marnus Labuschagne scored an unbeaten 51 from 49 balls, keeping the pressure on throughout the chase. Steven Smith then hit the winning runs as Australia wrapped up a dominant eight-wicket victory in just 28.2 overs. The much-anticipated match was finished inside two days.

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