‘Not all about me’: Cult hero Head resets after slim returns
By Daniel Brettig
Travis Head admits he was taken aback by the scale of adulation for his World Cup exploits, and has vowed to return to his attacking best in Adelaide after the slimmest home Test series of his career.
A hero of Australia’s Cup campaign and a cult figure for his prominent role in the celebrations afterwards, Head walked to the wicket in Perth, Melbourne and Sydney to receptions he was only used to getting in home town Adelaide.
Those welcome cheers were swiftly followed by groans: Head cobbled just 81 runs in five innings against Pakistan, ending a hugely productive three-year run of scoring.
At the end of the series, still battling the after-effects of a rapid rehabilitation from a broken hand to take part in the World Cup, Head chose to rest rather than join the likes of Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith and Alex Carey in the Big Bash League.
He spent extra time at home with his wife Jess and daughter Milla, while also working to return to the technical fundamentals and clear mindset that allowed him to dominate India in Ahmedabad a couple of months before.
How do you see this Test playing out?
Hello and welcome
G’day cricket lovers.
Welcome to our live coverage of the opening Test between Australia and the West Indies in Adelaide.
It’s Tom Decent in the blogging chair at the Coogee bureau. Chief cricket writers Malcolm Conn and Dan Brettig are parked up in Adelaide ready to bring you all the action across five days.
Five days? We shall see whether this Windies squad can fire a shot.
Play starts at 10:30am AEDT.
Travis Head, Steve Smith and Cam Green at the Adelaide Oval. Credit: Getty
