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Ashes 2025: Australia's star batter Travis Head had played one of the best innings in the Ashes. He also played one of the best knocks in the history of this format and helped the host defeat England in the series opener in Perth, where the match surprisingly ended within two days. After scoring a match-winning knock of 123 runs off 83 balls, and broke the hearts of the English fans and left the ex-players stunned.

It's the first time that a Test match went for just 100.5 overs, but turned dramatic and made it look like a five-day game. Mitchell Starc took a seven-for on the first day, and then Ben Stokes took a five-wicket haul as bowlers dominated the day. But Travis Head's ton is the highlight of this game.

“A little shell-shocked. That was some knock from Trav. It’s a very tough one to get the series going,” he added, as England’s 13-year wait for a Test win on Australian soil stretched further. For a fleeting moment, Stokes and England might have believed they were on the cusp of ending that drought. But Head had other ideas,” Ben Stokes told broadcasters in the post-match presentation.

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This was the seventh Ashes Test match to get over within two days and the shortest game in the history to bring out a result as far as the no. of balls being bowled is concerned.

List of the 5 shortest Ashes matches

The five shortest Ashes matches, as far as ball count is concerned, are- 1888 Lord's match (788 balls), 1888 The Oval match (792 balls), 1932 Melbourne match (880 balls), 1938 Brisbane match (917 balls), and 1896 Sydney match (919 balls).

1888 Lord's match: Australia beat England by 137 runs.

1888 The Oval match: Australia beat England by 61 runs. England was bowled out for 53 in their second innings in just 58 balls, and Australia's fast bowling attack took 27 wickets in a single day.

Also Read: AUS vs ENG 1st Test: Travis Head Smashes Second Fastest Century In Ashes History, Reaches Milestone In 69 Balls

1932 Melbourne match: Australia beat England by 103 runs.

1938 Brisbane match: England beat Australia by an innings and 579 runs. England scored 803, which was their highest-ever test innings score, and Australia was bowled out for just 58 in their first innings and 68 in their second.

1896 Sydney match: Australia beat England by 13 runs. Australia was bowled out for just 37 runs in their first innings but still managed to secure the victory.

List of 5 shortest overall Test matches

The five shortest overall Test matches are- India vs. South Africa (2024) with 642 balls, Australia vs. South Africa (1935) with 656 balls, West Indies vs. England (1935) with 672 balls, England vs. Australia (1888) with 788 balls, and England vs. Australia (1888) with 792 balls. These matches are ranked by the total number of balls bowled in the game.

India vs. South Africa (2024): 642 balls (107 overs)

Australia vs. South Africa (1935): 656 balls (109.2 overs)

West Indies vs. England (1935): 672 balls (112 overs)

England vs. Australia (1888): 788 balls (197 four-ball overs)

England vs. Australia (1888): 792 balls (197 four-ball overs)

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