Explosive makeshift opener Travis Head slammed the first century of the Ashes series Saturday and the third fastest ever by an Australian to power the hosts within sight of victory in a high-octane first Test.

Head surged to three figures off just 69 balls in Perth, crunching 12 fours and four sixes after being elevated to the top of the order in place of the injured Usman Khawaja.

It matched the 69-ball ton hit by David Warner against India in 2012 and is third only to Adam Gilchrist's 57-ball blitz against England in 2006 and Jack Gregory versus South Africa more than a century ago.

The fastest century of all time is Brendon McCullum's 54-ball fireworks in Christchurch against Australia in 2016.

Head's run-fest left Australia needing just 48 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match Ashes series.

His 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 shell-shocked with four wickets in as many overs.

England staged a mini-recovery but were all out for 164 on the cusp of tea.