MATCH STORIES
Follow UsThere’s nothing that’s there to be written or said about Travis Head that’s not been written or said already.
So be warned — what you’re going to read next will probably feel redundant.
But how can you not talk about a man who keeps playing these special knocks over and over and over again?
In the past 24 months alone, Head has played multiple ‘knocks of a lifetime’ and has already ensured he is guaranteed to go down as a sure-shot legend when he eventually decides to call it a day.
The 101 in Hobart (England), 92 at Gabba (South Africa), 163 in the WTC Final (India) and the 137 in the ODI World Cup Final (India) are all truly freaky, legendary knocks that will unquestionably stand the test of time.
Years down the line, the 119 today in Adelaide might — and probably will — just turn out to be a footnote due to the low-stakes nature of the encounter, but make no mistake: as it stands, this is among the finest hundreds Head has scored in his career thus far.
Such a statement might look silly and understandably so.
After all, this is the West Indies, who Australia are expected to rinse at home blindfolded. And it’s not an intimidating visiting attack by any means. Plus, this is being played at the Adelaide Oval, historically the flattest surface in the country. On top of all that, the Windies were rolled over for 188 on the very first day.
All of this is true; none of the above is debatable.
What makes this a special knock, then, is the game context. And as unbelievable as it may sound and seem, Australia, at home against the Windies, were in trouble two hours into Day 2 despite having restricted the visitors to a mere 188.
This match seemed to be a write-off 65 overs into Day 1, but 20 minutes before lunch on Day 2, the Test was right in the balance, with Australia reeling at 129/5.
On a very un-Australian Adelaide Oval wicket, the Windies bowlers got their planning and execution spot on and, as a result, were staring at a potential first-innings lead at one point. At 129/5, they were effectively one more quick wicket away from getting ahead in the contest, with the Aussies still trailing by 59 with only the bowlers to come.
The pitch was no minefield, but it was no normal surface either. So much so that Head, when asked mid-way through his innings if batting had gotten easier with time, replied with a very clear ‘Not at all, to be honest’.
That Australia, from this point, managed not only to take a lead, but stretch it well over 75 was down to the brilliance of one man, who posted a chanceless 119 on a surface in which no other batter passed 60, with the next best score being exactly 50.
As far as the knock itself is concerned, it was a typical Travis Head knock where the left-hander took his chances and was willing to fight fire with fire.
He started off rather slowly by his standards (14 off 28), but picked up pace and upped the gears as his innings went on, despite not evidently being his fluent best. And truth be told, this was not a surface on which he could have been at his fluent best anyway.
Of course, there can never be a Travis Head knock without an absolute highlight, and today, that particular moment came after his ton. Against a fired-up Shamar Joseph looking for his five-fer, the left-hander went absolutely berserk and hammered the youngster for two mammoth sixes.
Those two sixes alone were enough to entertain a crowd that was already delighted to see the hometown hero notch up yet another ton at the Adelaide Oval. Head now averages 70.57 in Adelaide and has posted 119, 38*, 175 & 51 in his last four knocks at the venue.
It’s a long-overdue special from Head, who had a very quiet Pakistan series, failing to cross fifty even once.
But he’s rediscovered his red-ball touch, which spells terrible news for the Windies for the rest of the series.
