PERTH: Makeshift opener Travis Head smacked an explosive 69-ball century to power Australia to victory in a high-octane first Ashes Test on Saturday as England meekly surrendered in the Perth Stadium cauldron. Chasing 205 to win, Head slammed 123 as the hosts romped home on day two by eight wickets in an electric start to the five-match series. Marnus Labuschagne was not-out 51 and Steve Smith on two. &quot;Wow, what a couple of days. It&#39;s been unbelievable,&quot; said Head. &quot;The emotions are pretty high. &quot;They (England) were seriously good out there yesterday and started to drag it back, so we knew we couldn&#39;t afford to let the game slip. To be able to contribute the way I did, it feels pretty special.&quot; Head&#39;s heroics came on the back of a blistering spell from marauding pace pair Scott Boland and Mitchell Starc after lunch that sparked a stunning England collapse. The tourists were cruising at 65-1 and building an ominous second-innings lead, but Boland and Starc left them reeling with four wickets in as many overs. A ruthless Boland accounted for Ben Duckett (28), Ollie Pope (33) and Harry Brook (0) in the space of 11 balls, then two deliveries later Starc sent Joe Root packing for eight. When Starc removed skipper Ben Stokes (2), England were flailing at 88-6 and the veteran paceman had bagged a 10-wicket haul for only the third time after his first innings 7-58, a career-best. England were partially rescued by a crucial 50-run stand between Gus Atkinson (37) and Brydon Carse (20) before being rolled for 164 at tea. &quot;Little bit shell-shocked there,&quot; said Stokes. &quot;Travis Head was phenomenal, jeez that was some knock. &quot;We tried 3-4 different plans there, he was going like a train. The runs were coming through quickly, he is really hard to stop when he plays like that.&quot; When they returned, Usman Khawaja again failed to show as opener as he battles back stiffness, with Australia signaling their intent by sending in Head. Head, who has opened nine times previously in Test cricket, quickly got into his destructive rhythm, crunching some lovely boundaries including big sixes off Carse and Mark Wood. He made it look easy, making a mockery of the struggles other batsmen had on the bouncy track, bringing up his half-century in 36 balls, passing 4,000 Test runs in the process. Looking to emulate him, debutant Jake Weatherald also went on the attack, but it cost him, out for 23 after a mistimed pull shot was taken by Ben Duckett off Carse. An unruffled Head kept the pressure on, slamming four boundaries in one Stokes over and sending a six back over the head of Jofra Archer on his way to a 10th Test ton. He eventually fell to Carse going for another big hit. Starc starsAustralia resumed on a paltry 123-9 in their first innings and added just nine before Nathan Lyon was removed by Carse for four to leave England with a 40-run advantage. Stokes was the star of the show, claiming 5-23 off just 36 balls to give England a golden opportunity to win a Test in Australia for the first time since the 2010-11 series. They had been all out for 172 at the hands of Starc on day one. Australia were banking on the 35-year-old to emulate his exploits in the second innings and he whipped the sold-out Perth Stadium crowd into a frenzy when he removed Zak Crawley in his first over. The veteran consigned Crawley to a pair, diving to his left in an incredible feat of athleticism for a memorable caught-and-bowled. Duckett and Pope settled in, safely reaching lunch at 59-1. But Scott Boland began to find his radar when they returned. Duckett edged to Steve Smith in the slips then Pope did the same to wicketkeeper Alex Carey before Brook repeated the feat to Khawaja. After a first innings duck Joe Root was desperate for runs, but he was no match for the relentless Starc, dragging a thick edge onto his stumps to cap a miserable start to the series. Brendan Doggett then cleaned up Jamie Smith, (15), Carse and Archer (5).

Cricket

Head's 69-ball ton powers Australia to victory in Ashes opener

PERTH: Arch-rivals Australia and England resume Ashes hostilities on Friday in Perth with the hosts weakened by injuries but favorites to inflict more pain on a side with a dire record Down Under. The highly anticipated five-Test series gets under way on a fast, bouncy track at a sold-out Perth Stadium and with Ben Stokes&#39;s visitors insisting they are not scarred by past failures. It has been 15 years since England last clinched an away Ashes series and since then they have failed to win a Test on Australian soil, losing 13 and drawing two.<figure class="fr-media"><img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/99327356-4019-43b9-9eb1-d6cff6a85984-Untitled(8).jpg" alt="Untitled(8).jpg" class="fr-fic fr-dib" style="width: 823px; height: 463.349px;"><figcaption class="caption-cover-image text-sm text-gray-600 italic">PERTH: England&rsquo;s Ben Stokes warms up during a practice session at Optus Stadium in Perth on November 19, 2025, ahead of the first Ashes cricket Test match between Australia and England. -- Photo by AFP</figcaption></figure> This time they touched down on the back of a thumping 3-0 one-day defeat in New Zealand and criticism over scheduling -- just a single three-day red-ball warm-up on a docile pitch. &lsquo;Going to be tough&rsquo;&nbsp;Skipper Stokes said they were starting with a clean slate, despite their miserable record in Australia. &quot;They&#39;re a phenomenal team, especially in their home, so we know the next two-and-a-half months is going to be tough for us,&quot; he said. &quot;All the series that have gone past, whether that be in Australia or England, I don&#39;t think count for much.&quot; There may never be a better chance to snap the long winless streak with the hosts&#39; pace spearheads Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood injured and out of at least the first Test. Opening match&nbsp;Former Australia fast bowler Mitchell Johnson said their absence &quot;starts to rewrite the whole script for the Ashes&quot;.<figure class="fr-media"><img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/02615050-b635-44b4-badd-f41300026a8d-Starc.jpg" alt="Starc.jpg" class="fr-fic fr-dib" style="width: 854px; height: 480.802px;"><figcaption class="caption-cover-image text-sm text-gray-600 italic">PERTH: Australia&rsquo;s Mitchell Starc speaks during a press conference at Optus Stadium in Perth on November 19, 2025, ahead of the first Ashes cricket Test match between Australia and England. -- Photo by AFP</figcaption></figure> &quot;It narrows Australia&#39;s margin for error and it forces selectors into decisions they&#39;d hoped they wouldn&#39;t have to make this early,&quot; he added. At least England have been spared an opening match in Brisbane, where they have won just twice since World War II. The Gabba will instead host the day-night second Test before the series moves to Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">Speed over swing&nbsp;</h2>England are relying heavily on their own cartel of express pacemen led by Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Matthew Potts and Josh Tongue, with Shoaib Bashir the only recognized spinner. But it is a gamble, with Wood the only one to have experienced Test cricket in Australian conditions and he has barely played since knee surgery earlier this year. Alongside Scott Boland, wily campaigner Mitchell Starc will shoulder the hosts&#39; attack with Cummins and Hazlewood out, with Nathan Lyon the spin option and seamer Brendan Doggett tipped to make his debut. Former Australia captain Greg Chappell said in a newspaper column that the Ashes would be decided by the superior fast bowling unit. &lsquo;History is unequivocal&rsquo;&ldquo;History is unequivocal -- to win in these vast, sun-baked arenas, you need express pace bowlers who can intimidate, extract bounce, and shatter partnerships on pitches that reward raw speed over subtle swing,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;If England&#39;s attack fires and dismantles Australia&#39;s batting order, the McCullum-Stokes masterplan will have them join the list of successful English leaders in Australia.&rdquo; But he cautioned against England employing the ultra-aggressive &ldquo;Bazball&rdquo; cricket favoured by the captain and coach Brendon McCullum. &ldquo;Their incendiary style might work on the small grounds in England on pitches prepared to be as flat as one-day pitches,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;But it won&#39;t be as easy to throw caution to the wind on the bigger grounds and more bowler-friendly pitches here.&rdquo; <h2 style="line-height: 2;">Top-order worries&nbsp;</h2>A lot of England&#39;s hopes rest on the shoulders of Joe Root and Harry Brook, ranked as the world&rsquo;s top two Test batsmen. Brook has never played a Test in Australia while Root has failed to score a century in his 27 innings Down Under where he averages 35.68, well below his career average of 51.29. Australia will similarly be relying on Steve Smith to be in the runs. The 36-year-old, who will be captain in Perth, has plundered 18 of his 36 Test tons on home soil, averaging a formidable 59.70. Sixth opening partner&nbsp;&ldquo;If Smith gets on a roll and he starts scoring runs, it&rsquo;s going to be a challenge for England,&rdquo; his long-time former team-mate David Warner warned. Australia&rsquo;s batting vulnerability is at the top, with an ageing Usman Khawaja potentially padding up with a sixth opening partner since Warner retired early last year. The latest candidate is left-hander Jake Weatherald, the leading run-scorer in the Sheffield Shield last season but with no experience of the Test cauldron.

The five-Test series gets under way at a sold-out Perth Stadium and with Ben Stokes's visitors insisting they are not scarred by past failures; it has been 15 years since England last clinched an away Ashes series.

England face daunting task to break Ashes drought in Australia

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: A brilliant century from captain Nat Sciver-Brunt powered England to a commanding 89-run victory over Sri Lanka in their ICC Women&rsquo;s Cricket World Cup 2025 clash at the R. Premadasa Stadium on Saturday.&nbsp;Opting to bowl first, Sri Lanka&rsquo;s decision proved costly as England posted a formidable 253 for 9 in their allotted 50 overs.&nbsp;Sciver-Brunt led from the front with a superb 117 off 117 balls, studded with nine fours and two sixes. Tammy Beaumont (32) and Heather Knight (29) provided valuable support in building England&rsquo;s total.&nbsp;For Sri Lanka, Inoka Ranaweera stood out with impressive figures of 3 for 33, while Sugandika Kumari and Udeshika Prabodhani chipped in with two wickets apiece.&nbsp;In reply, Sri Lanka&rsquo;s chase never gained momentum as they were bowled out for 164 in 45.4 overs. Hasini Perera (35) and Harshitha Samarawickrama (33) offered brief resistance, but England&rsquo;s disciplined bowling attack proved too strong. Sophie Ecclestone was exceptional, claiming 4 for 17 in her 10 overs, while Charlie Dean and Sciver-Brunt picked up two wickets each.&nbsp;The emphatic win lifted England to the top of the World Cup standings with six points from three matches, moving past Australia. Sri Lanka, meanwhile, remained in seventh place with just one point from their three outings.

England posted 253/9 as Nat Sciver-Brunt smashed 117 (117), while Sri Lanka managed just 164 in reply. Sophie Ecclestone starred with 4/17, sealing England’s 89-run win and top spot in the standings.

England crush Sri Lanka by 89 runs in Women’s World Cup

LONDON: Jaguar Land Rover on Monday said it will partially restart production in the coming days after a damaging cyberattack halted operations at its UK factories. &nbsp;The Indian-owned automaker said on September 2 that it had been targeted by hackers, severely disrupting sales and production and forcing the company to seek emergency funding.&nbsp;&quot;As the controlled, phased restart of our operations continues, we are taking further steps towards our recovery,&quot; JLR said in a statement.&nbsp;&quot;Some sections of our manufacturing operations will resume in the coming days,&quot; it added.&nbsp;The UK government at the weekend agreed to a loan guarantee worth &pound;1.5 billion ($2 billion) to help shore up the firm&#39;s cash reserves and supply chain.&nbsp;A government credit agency will guarantee a commercial bank loan, to be repaid over five years by JLR.&nbsp;IT systems at the company owned by India&#39;s Tata Motors partly came back online last week as part of a phased restart.&nbsp;The partial systems restart helped to clear a backlog of payments to its suppliers, after unions warned that some were at risk of collapse owing to the disruption.&nbsp;As part of its investigation, JLR believes that &quot;some data&quot; was accessed by the hackers, but has provided no further details.&nbsp;&nbsp;&#39;Significant impact&#39;&nbsp; JLR operates the largest supply chain in the UK automotive sector, employing around 120,000 people.&nbsp;It employs 34,000 people directly in its UK operations, with factories in England&#39;s West Midlands and northwest.&nbsp;The government recently warned of &quot;significant impact&quot; from the cyberattack following an emergency meeting with UK car trade body SMMT.&nbsp;According to the BBC, JLR is losing at least &pound;50 million per week in lost production.&nbsp;Cyber gangs have increasingly targeted UK luxury brands and retailers, including Britain&#39;s Marks and Spencer, Harrods and the Co-op food chain.&nbsp;British police in July arrested four people suspected of involvement in attacks against the three retailers, which saw hackers demand ransom payments after breaking into their IT systems.&nbsp;Such cyberattacks have cost companies hundreds of millions of pounds in lost sales.&nbsp;Marks and Spencer, whose online services were crippled for weeks, took a &pound;300-million hit to annual operating profit.&nbsp;While the Co-op on Thursday said the incident impacted its first-half operating profit by &pound;80 million and revenue by &pound;206 million.&nbsp;The cyberattack is the latest setback for JLR, which reported a sharp reduction in sales after it halted exports of its cars to the United States in April in response to President Donald Trump&#39;s tariffs.&nbsp;A trade agreement between London and Washington reduced the tariff on UK car exports to 10 percent from 27.5 percent, on a limit of 100,000 vehicles annually.&nbsp;But the luxury car and SUV maker said it still planned to cut up to 500 UK management jobs.&nbsp;

Business

Jaguar Land Rover will partly resume UK production after a crippling cyberattack halted operations. The UK government has offered a £1.5 billion loan guarantee, as the firm suffers £50 million weekly losses and investigates data breaches.

Jaguar Land Rover to partly resume output after cyberattack

LONDON: England paceman Chris Woakes has announced his retirement from international cricket after England indicated he was no longer in their plans. &nbsp;Woakes&#39;s final match was last month against India at the Oval, where he walked out to bat one-handed with his arm in a sling, having dislocated his shoulder in the field.&nbsp;He did not face a ball as India won by six runs to level the series at 2-2.&nbsp;That injury ruled him out of consideration for this winter&#39;s Ashes tour to Australia and, at the age of 36, effectively brought down the curtain on his England career.&nbsp;Rob Key, managing director of men&#39;s cricket at the England and Wales Cricket Board, said last week that Woakes was unlikely to feature again.&nbsp;&quot;The moment has come, and I&#39;ve decided that the time is right for me to retire from international cricket,&quot; all-rounder Woakes wrote in an Instagram post.&nbsp;&quot;Playing for England was something I aspired to do since I was a kid dreaming in the back garden, and I feel incredibly fortunate to have lived out those dreams.&quot;&nbsp;Woakes took 192 wickets in 62 Tests and scored more than 2,000 runs at an average of more than 25.&nbsp;England face Australia in a five-Test series starting in Perth on November 21.

England all-rounder Chris Woakes, 36, has retired from international cricket after a shoulder injury and England’s decision to exclude him from future plans. A double World Cup winner, he claimed 192 Test wickets and 2,000 runs.

Chris Woakes retires from international cricket as double world cup winner

LONDON: England finally has a Women&#39;s Rugby World Cup title to confirm its utter world domination after outclassing Canada 33-13 in front of a record crowd at Twickenham on Saturday. The clearcut victory by five tries to two capped an astonishing World Cup cycle in which England won every match, 33 in a row, the greatest streak in international rugby. The prospect of a home tournament topped by a home champion sold out Twickenham five weeks ago, and 81,885 spectators, the largest crowd in women&#39;s rugby history, were treated to a showcase of England&#39;s unstoppable power. England was appearing in a seventh straight World Cup final but had won only one of the previous six, in 2014. The other title was in 1994. Losing the 2022 final to New Zealand, the last time England tasted defeat, was a bitter blow for the most resourced, most deepest and strongest women&#39;s team in world rugby. It drove the Red Roses to get the formula right when the World Cup came home for the first time in 15 years. &ldquo;The past certainly dictates the now and the girls hung tough in the whole tournament and connected with the nation,&rdquo; England coach John Mitchell said. &ldquo;I thought we were superb defensively in the tournament; our attack didn&#39;t need to be at its best but it was effective enough to get the job done. Canada are a good side but they hadn&#39;t come up against us and we were waiting.&quot; Canada bossed everyone, including defending two-time champion New Zealand in the semifinals, en route to its first final in 11 years, validating its No. 2 ranking and unbeaten campaign this year. But the best offloading team in the tournament with the fastest ruck speed couldn&rsquo;t get its natural game going, crashing into England&#39;s defense. Canada didn&#39;t have a plan B. &ldquo;We smashed it out there today and I can&rsquo;t thank the girls enough for putting their bodies on the line,&rdquo; England captain Zoe Aldcroft said. &quot;There was no doubt in our minds coming into this that we were going to do the job.&rdquo; England saved its best performance of the World Cup for last, setting the tone at the first scrum, shoving Canada backward. The English would destroy Canada&#39;s scrum and mauls. Even goalkicking lock Sophie de Goede, at the heart of Canada&#39;s impressive performances just two months into her comeback from an ACL tear, was stymied. She got to smile after the final, though, after receiving the world player of the year award ahead of England&#39;s Megan Jones and New Zealand&#39;s Jorja Miller. De Goede&#39;s teammates threw her in the air. As it did in every game, Canada scored first through glitter-faced right wing Alex Hogan-Rochester from a two-on-one. The lead lasted only three minutes. Out of nothing, fullback Ellie Kildunne, last year&#39;s world player of the year, broke a tackle, stepped a couple more and scorched the cover to score behind the posts. More Canada errors were turned into points by England. There was a lineout drive try for hooker Amy Cokayne, who scored three similar tries in the 2022 final. An intercept on halfway by Tatyana Heard was the origin of a try for No. 8 Alex Matthews, playing in her fourth straight final. Canada had to score next but on England&#39;s try-line the ball was poached by Aldcroft. Canada admitted it was struggling by kicking a penalty while 21-5 down. The half finished with England prop Hannah Botterman greeting her second jackal penalty with a double-fisted roar in delight. England started the second half with a try by lock Abbie Ward. When Zoe Harrison&#39;s conversion attempt hit the post, it was her first miss in 15 goalkicks going back to the pool stage. While Botterman was in the sin-bin, Hogan-Rochester got her second try for Canada. When another sustained period of pressure died from a knock-on in front of the England posts, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney put his head in his hands. England put the finishing touches on the biggest win in a final in 27 years when a spiral bomb spun back into its hands and Matthews scored her second try. New Zealand takes bronze New Zealand bowed out in style after slamming six tries against France to win the bronze medal. Rebounding from their semifinal defeat to Canada, their first loss in a knockout match in 34 years, the world champion Black Ferns won 42-26. Winger Braxton Sorensen-McGee, the 18-year-old sensation at her first World Cup, scored her 10th and 11th tries, the second highest tally in World Cup history. Only retiring teammate Portia Woodman-Wickliffe scored more; 13 in 2017. Renee Holmes was the player of the match for a 17-point haul, including five goalkicks from eight off the tee. New Zealand led 39-7 after an hour then suddenly dropped off tackles and France scored three tries in 10 minutes to flanker Lea Champon and backs Gaby Vernier and Emilie Boulard. France also scored the opening try by scrumhalf Pauline Bourdon Sansus from an inside pass by retiring co-captain Marine Menager. But most of the next hour was New Zealand&rsquo;s with often breathless play started by forwards Kaipo Olsen-Baker, Liana Mikaele-Tu&#39;u and Chryss Viliko. Sylvia Brunt scored one try and set up two, and sevens superstar Jorja Miller, who missed the semifinal injured, sent in lock Laura Bayfield for 26-7 at halftime. Then Sorensen-McGee turned it on. A dummy, left-foot step, and 30-meter glide to the try-line. Moments after Woodman-Wickliffe was replaced to huge acclaim, Sorensen-McGee dived in beside the right corner flag. &quot;There are only three teams that get to win a medal and to be one of those teams, no matter what color it is, we&rsquo;re so grateful,&rdquo; Brunt said.

Rugby

England clinched its second Women’s Rugby World Cup, defeating Canada 33-13 at Twickenham before a record crowd. The Red Roses extended their unbeaten run to 33 matches, cementing their dominance as Canada settled for runner-up.

England outclasses Canada, wins Women's Rugby World Cup 

LEEDS: Harold &ldquo;Dickie&rdquo; Bird, the charismatic former cricket umpire from England who officiated in 66 test matches and three World Cup finals, has died at the age of 92.&nbsp;Bird&#39;s death was announced on Tuesday by English club Yorkshire, his home county where he was made president in 2014.&nbsp;&nbsp;Yorkshire said he died &ldquo;peacefully&rdquo; at his home.&nbsp;Yorkshire called Bird a &ldquo;national treasure&rdquo; who was &ldquo;known not only for his umpiring excellence but also for his eccentricities and warmth.&rdquo;&nbsp;&ldquo;He leaves behind a legacy of sportsmanship, humility, and joy and a legion of admirers across generations.&quot;&nbsp;Bird&#39;s first-class playing career, which included spells with Yorkshire and Leicestershire, was cut short by injury at the age of 32 with an average of 20.71.&nbsp;He went on to become arguably the world&#39;s most famous umpire, standing in an English county match for the first time in 1970 and his first test three years later. In 1975, Bird took charge of the inaugural men&#39;s Cricket World Cup final and he was reduced to tears by a guard of honor afforded him by the players of England and India at Lord&#39;s in his final test in 1996.

Harold ‘Dickie’ Bird, England former cricket umpire renowned for officiating in 66 Tests and three World Cup finals, has died at 92. Yorkshire praised him as national treasure with a lasting sporting legacy.

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