Travis Head has announced himself as Australia’s most influential batsman and Steve Smith remains the most reliable just a week out from the Ashes.
Head scored his first overseas century during the opening day of the World Test Championship final against India at the Oval and Steve Smith is not far away from his seventh hundred in England.
Travis Head celebrates his century.Credit: Getty
Stamping his authority in Australia over the past two summers with counter-punching hundreds, Head has now become a game changer in England, scoring an unbeaten 146 in just 156 deliveries as Australia went to stumps at 3-327 on Wednesday with Smith 95 not out. It would have been more had India managed better than 85 of their scheduled 90 overs.
After Australia were asked to bat on a green pitch under dull skies, Head came to the crease with his side teetering at 3-76. He added a record 251 with Smith, who played the unobtrusive anchor on a ground where he averaged almost a hundred going into the match.
It was Australia’s best third-wicket partnership in England, beating the 242 scored by Charlie Kellaway and Warren Bardsley back in 1912.
Head played four Tests during his last England tour in 2019 for an average of 27 and a highest score of 51 before being dropped. Now playing with an uncluttered mind and corresponding freedom, he shapes as a pivotal player in this Ashes series.
Head negotiated some short-pitched bowling, especially in the balls leading up to his century.Credit: Getty
Certainly England captain Ben Stokes knows how dangerous Head can be after he averaged almost 60 in a man-of-the-series performance in the home Ashes two summers ago.
“I think Travis Head is someone who since he came into the team has really taken his opportunity, and gone ‘This is how I’m going to play’,” Stokes said in a recent interview. “Him being allowed to go out and play the way he has, he’s been so successful.
“He was so hard to bowl to in Australia when we were there last time because he just threw counter-punches, and those innings he played against us were really hard to bowl to, really hard to set fields to.”
Seduced by the seamer-friendly conditions and no doubt concerned what Australia’s pace attack would do in such helpful circumstances, Indian captain Rohit Sharma must be ruing how quickly the cloud burnt off and sunshine sapped the moisture from the pitch.
Travis Head and Steve Smith combined to not only steady the ship, but to steer it into open waters.Credit: Getty Images
Disconcertingly for India, the occasional delivery is already keeping low.
Subjected to a belated bouncer assault from Mohammed Siraj in the 90s, with one short ball sending him tumbling out of the way and another clattering into his helmet, Head received generous applause from a joyous largely pro-Indian crowd after bringing up three figures with a swat through the leg side.
Remarkably his match-changing performance comes just three months and three Tests after he was left out of the opening Test of the Indian tour earlier this year as part of a horses-for-courses approach despite his exceptional form at home. This came after poor tours of Pakistan and Sri Lanka last year. Common sense prevailed and Head was recalled, averaging 47 for the series.
While Head’s innings was the most important and Smith’s the most reassuring, David Warner’s was the most pleasing.
The veteran opener’s 43 may pale in comparison to the results of Smith and Head, but despite the most difficult of the batting conditions, Warner did not bat like a man whose Test place was in danger. It was his second-highest score in his last 10 Test innings.
More significantly it was Warner’s second-highest score in England across 11 innings going back to 2015, beating the 11 he scored at the Oval four years ago. The other eight scores were single figures, including three consecutive ducks.
Most importantly, this innings began with a compact defence and steady composure before expanding with eight boundaries, including four in one over.
Warner was unlucky to be out shortly before lunch, caught behind gloving a pull from a Shardul Thakur short ball.
Opening partner Usman Khawaja went for a duck in the fourth over, caught behind off a ball from Siraj going across the left hander.
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