‘Absolutely woeful’ - England fans react as ‘sensational’ Travis Head hands Australia commanding lead in first Ashes test

It was another punishing day at the Gabba for the visitors.
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The second day of the first test of the Ashes ended with England facing a real uphill battle against a dominant Australia.

Joe Root’s men, who were bowled out for 147 on the first day, could do little to prevent their hosts from running up a commanding lead, and were particularly stung by a sublime 85-ball century from Travis Head - the third-fastest in Ashes history.

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Prior to his devastating turn, England also suffered big losses at the hands of David Warner, bowled off a Ben Stokes no-ball and dropped by Rory Burns on his way to 94, and Marnus Labuschagne, who made 74.

At one point things had looked relatively promising for Root’s side, with Ollie Robinson taking two wickets in two balls to leave Australia five wickets down and just 48 runs ahead.

Head then emerged to subject a struggling England attack to a torrid spell, however, and the left-hander went on to make 112 not out to take the hosts to 343-7 at the end of the day.

We’ve gathered some of the best reactions from fans on social media below...

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Many England supporters were horrified by the size of the task facing their side over the remainder of the first test, and took a suitably pessimistic tone as a result.

@ClinicalClinton tweeted: “Please, I need answers to how this side has regressed so much”

@CannyDash tweeted: “Absolutely woeful last session. England test side is going backwards. In need of a massive shake up like the white ball sides had when we realised how poor we were at that time. Time for massive change.”

@Hauxley1 tweeted: “We are just giving them a bit of batting practice and an innings defeat is now pretty obvious. Woeful, abject or just plain poor is how they will be remembered in this Test. And probably the next 4. Play the T20 side instead of most of the current team. Embarrassing already.”

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@thejudmeister tweeted: “Test cricket seems such a hassle for England these days. Truly awful and a predictable 5-0 series loss looms, unless the weather saves us in one of the tests.”

In particular, many fans vented their frustrations at left-arm spinner Jack Leach, who was hit for 95 from 11 overs.

@kieran_rees tweeted: “11 overs for 95 from Leach. I remember the meltdowns there were when he was left out last summer. Any chance of England calling up Parkinson into a squad he should’ve been in in the first place?

@matsid85 tweeted: “Mistakes at the toss and selecting Leach are huge contributors to this terrible performance so far.”

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@BDELLOW tweeted: “What does Jack Leach actually offer to this team? Easy runs for Australia”

But as deflated as England fans were, Australia supporters were understandably delighted, with praise reserved for century-maker Head in particular.

@auldy27 tweeted: “What a ton. Poms had a glimmer of hope and Head ripped it away. Gilchrist-like”

@AB9204800 tweeted:“Awesome innings!”

@RogerstonRoger tweeted: “Go Travis Head!!! Go Champ!!!! You more than repaid the selectors with an absolutely cracking innings!!!”

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@kvenkatr69 tweeted: “Sensational batting by Travis Head. If the tail can get the score to 400 with a lead of 250, Pat Cummins, with another fifer, will complete the formalities to begin his captaincy journey with a win and man of the match”

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