Travis Head''s century leads Australia to an 8-wicket victory over England in Ashes series opener
Perth (AP): Travis Head flipped the narrative and dominated the England pace bowlers with one of the great centuries in Ashes cricket Saturday as Australia raced to an eight-wicket victory with three days to spare in the first Test.
Head turned England's “Bazball” tactics back on the visitors, clobbering a century from 69 deliveries after being promoted up the order to open the innings when Usman Khawaja was injured.
In three innings across five sessions, fast bowlers were right on top as 30 wickets fell for 468 runs 113 overs in Perth — 19 on an extraordinary Day 1 and 11 before the tea interval on Day 2.
Set 205 to win, Head went in as a makeshift opener and plundered 123 from 83 balls, hitting boundaries to all parts of the ground as he hit the rope 16 times and cleared it on four occasions.
He was caught in the outfield trying to rush to victory, with Australia needing just 13 runs to win at 192-2.
Marnus Labuschagne leveled the scores with a six and was unbeaten on 51 when Australia reached 205-2.
The second test in the five-match series starts Dec. 4 at the Gabba in Brisbane.
Australia extended its unbeaten run in home Ashes tests to 16, with 14 victories and two draws since losing the 2010-11 series.
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Next round of Iran-US negotiations expected soon: Pak's Defence Minister
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Islamabad (PTI): Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Monday said that the next round of Iran-US negotiations was expected soon.
Asif made these remarks on Monday, a day after the Islamabad talks failed to clinch a deal.
The 21-hour talks between the US and Iran on Saturday were the first of their kind since 1979 due to the involvement of top-level officials from both sides. The two sides, however, failed to secure a lasting peace deal to end hostilities following their talks in Pakistan over the weekend.
Speaking to the media outside Parliament House, Asif said there had been a sense of satisfaction after the talks that there were no negative developments so far.
“Only positive progress has been observed,” he said, indicating that the ongoing diplomatic efforts were moving in a constructive direction.
The next round of Iran-US negotiations was expected soon, he added.
The Express Tribune reported that responding to a question about whether Pakistan would play a decisive role in shaping the region’s future, Asif said that ultimate decisions rest with Allah.
Vice President JD Vance, who led the US delegation at the negotiations in Islamabad, said the Iranian side did not accept Washington's terms for ending the war even as the US presented its "final and best offer".
Hours after the talks collapsed, US President Donald Trump said on social media that the negotiations with Iran failed as "Iran is unwilling to give up its nuclear ambitions."
Pakistan led the diplomatic push to bring the two sides to the table, which became possible after an appeal by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif earlier this week, leading to a pause in the fighting.
The conflict began after the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28, paralysing global energy markets and disrupting trade.
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