A frenzy broke out as fans Head of Travis‘s wild 91 is not in the shade Joe Root‘s gritty 160 in a thrilling day 2 5th Ashes Test On 4 January 2026 at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Australia, now clinging to the series 3-1, track England‘s first innings 384 218 runs 166/2 after 34.1 overs. The Pink Ashes final provided edge-of-the-seat drama with centuries contested and boundaries flying under Sydney skies.
Joe Root’s solid century takes England to a huge total
England resumed at 211/3 with 72 and Root Harry Brooke At 78, building momentum on a slanted pitch. Root anchored the innings deftly, turning his night’s score into a majestic 160 off 242 balls with 15 fours, equaling his 41st Test ton. Ricky Pontingthe sign of . He shared an important 169-run stand with Brook (84 off 97, 6×4, 1×6) before Brook fell. Scott Boland In 226/4, then added by 94 Jamie Smith (46, 6×4, 1×6) to exceed 300 69.1 times.
Stokes (0) departed cheaply Mitchell Starc soon but scored 150 off 226 balls between partnerships as a 50-run seventh wicket effort with Root. Will Jacks (27). Michael Neser Flashed with 4/60, Root was caught at 384/9 and dismissed bowled, following on Josh Dil (0), as England folded in 97.3 overs at 3.93 RR. Supported by Boland (2/85) and Starc (2/93), with surprise wickets Marnus Labuschagne and Cameron GreenGives Australia a target to chase aggressively
Travis Head’s explosive counter-attack puts Australia in the driving seat at the end of Day 2
Australia’s response ignited with Head and Keys Jake Weatherald Reaching 57/0 in 12 overs, crossing 50 in 9.2 overs. Weatherald (21, 4×4) fell lbw to Stokes at 57/1, but Head’s onslaught – 55 off 50 balls (9×4) – led to a 105-run second-wicket partnership with Labuschagne (48, 7×4). They reached 100 in 20.3 and 150 in 28.5, despite DRS drama including Weatherald’s review and a failed lbw call on England’s Labuschagne.
Stokes struck again, trapping Labuschagne at 162/2 at 30.6, but the unbeaten Head (91 off 87, 15×4, SR 104.59) dominated England’s attack. Matthew Potts 58/0 in 7 overs leaked, Brydon Carse At 43/0 in the 9th and Dil 31/0 in the 10th, Australia moved to 43/1 in the last 10 overs at 4.85 RR. Rain and overcast conditions ended play early, overwhelming Root’s efforts and leaving him poised to tilt Day 3 decisively.
Here’s how the fans reacted:
Only batter to score 400+ runs in BGT 2025 – Travis Head.
Only batter to score 500+ runs in Ashes 2026 – Travis Head.
THE MOST EFFECTIVE BATTER IN INTERNATIONAL CRICKET THIS DECADE. 🦁 pic.twitter.com/dqzCiBqMfX
– Jones. (@CricCrazyJohns) January 5, 2026
Travis Head scored over 400 runs as a middle-order batsman at BGT.
Travis Head scored over 500 runs in the Ashes.
THE HEAD IS ONE OF THE MOST DIRECTIONS. pic.twitter.com/iEND1td7n1
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) January 5, 2026
Half a decade has passed and there is no doubt that Travis Head is the best cricketer of this decade. pic.twitter.com/XCqFeEGNry
— Vivek (@Hailkohli18) January 5, 2026
Travis Head may be the one player no one can decipher – how he does what he does. pic.twitter.com/ldXA1ufslz
— 𝐊𝐨𝐡𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭!𝟎𝐧_👑🚩 (@bholination) January 5, 2026
Travis Head in the Ashes series 2025-26.
21(35), 123(83), 33(43), 22(22), 10(28), 170(219), 12(22), 46(67), 91*(87) Today. pic.twitter.com/6yl2HerIyt
— The Sports (@the_sports_x) January 5, 2026
Travis Head was the top scorer in the 2024-2025 BGT series and now he is again the top scorer in the 2025-2026 Ashes.
Travis Head’s dominance in international cricket is not discussed as much as it should be, but he has quietly dominated every series. pic.twitter.com/1z97EVzNiI
– Sohel. (@SohelVkf) January 5, 2026
Only batter to score 400+ runs in BGT 2025 – Travis Head.
Only batter to score 500+ runs in Ashes 2026 – Travis Head.
THE MOST EFFECTIVE BATTER IN INTERNATIONAL CRICKET THIS DECADE. 🦁 off off pic.twitter.com/kIRp4tmVrM
— Tripurari Chaudhary (@TripurariMedia) January 5, 2026
Travis Head scored over 400 runs as a middle-order batsman at BGT.
Travis Head scored over 500 runs in the Ashes.
THE HEAD IS ONE OF THE MOST DIRECTIONS. pic.twitter.com/cm2OjGql7W
— jatin shrivastava (@jatinshriv2913) January 5, 2026
Travis Head ends the day on 91* as Australia fight back strongly after Joe Root’s 160. pic.twitter.com/MV0uBNIf6L
– Root Jaiswal (@JaiswalRoot) January 5, 2026
Day 2, stumps
Australia: 166/2, trailing by 218 runs ⚡
– Travis Head is not in 91#Ashes2025 #Australia pic.twitter.com/XsbNqYKFo1
— CricketTimes.com (@CricketTimesHQ) January 5, 2026
TRAVIS HEAD DIG UP THE ASH HISTORY! 🔥2nd Aussie opener with 500+ runs in a 21st Century Ashes series, after David Warner did it in 2013/14. pic.twitter.com/lXTL9awleZ
— The Sports (@the_sports_x) January 5, 2026
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