Join the Miguel Delaney Inside Football Get exclusive insights and behind-the scenes access to the Miguel Delaney: inside newsletter Football Join the Miguel Delaney Inside newsletter Football Ben Stokes, the England captain, admitted that he had left his right side. “shellshocked” Australia’s thrashing of his team in just two days in Perth was the fastest Ashes loss in more than a century. The tourists were bowled out for 172 on the first day and 164 in the second. All in all they lost 20 wicket in 67.5 overs, a recipe for disaster at the highest level.An inspired bowling display, including a quickfire five-for from Stokes, meant Australia fared even worse in their first attempt as they were bowled out for 132 but a whirlwind century from Travis Head settled matters emphatically in the home side’s favour.Set 205 to win on a pitch that had been chewing batters up and spitting them back out, Head smashed a 69-ball ton and finished with 123 in just 83 deliveries.England’s five-pronged pace attack went from breathing fire to running on fumes as the volunteer opener, who stepped up to replace the injured Usman Khawaja, clattered four sixes and 16 fours.His frenzy ensured there would be no need for the doors of Perth Stadium to open on Sunday, leaving Stokes to contemplate a first two-day defeat against their oldest rivals since 1921.“I’m a little shellshocked at the moment. I didn’t see that one coming,” Several minutes after Steve Smith, his opposite number, had scored the winning run, he confessed.“It’s quite raw. We need to let emotions like this sink in and it has got to hurt. There’s a lot of disappointment when you walk off having been on the losing side.“At the moment I’m still in a little bit of a ‘wow’ phase after what Travis Head has just done to us. It was a pretty incredible, special knock from Travis. I thought 200 was a pretty defendable score…but he had an answer for absolutely everything.”England’s premature conclusion will mean an extended break until the second test, which starts on December 4, at Brisbane. Stokes has no doubts that it is now a MUST-WIN affair if this campaign is to stay on track. But he backs his team to show some strength.“I will wake up tomorrow and still be incredibly disappointed but all my focus and energy will be going into getting the group back up,” he said.“You have to get rid of it as quickly as…
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2025-11-22 12:28:33
