Slow and steady Travis Head as effective as his fast and furious version

If you followed the 2024 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), you would know that Travis Head loves flying starts. Opening for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in IPL 2024, the left-hander batted at a strike rate of 178.1 in the first 10 balls of his innings, 232.6 in balls 11 to 20 and 178.8 in balls 21 to 30. 

The corresponding numbers for Australia in T20Is since 2023 are 166.7, 173 and 125. 

However, on Saturday evening in Barbados (June 15), Head curbed his natural instinct to keep Australia sailing in a dead rubber against Scotland. 

Set 181 to win, Australia had an iffy start to their chase. The spirited Scotland bowlers restricted Australia to 74/3 at the halfway mark. Head was 39 runs off 31 balls at this point with the asking rate rising towards 11. 

11 runs off the first 10 balls, 13 off the next 10 and then 14 more off the subsequent 10 deliveries. 38 off 30 balls is the third-lowest score for Head at the 30-ball mark in T20s since 2023. That too on one of the most batting friendly tracks of the competition. 

It was still not the right time for the Adelaide-born to shift gears just yet. Marcus Stoinis at the other end muscled the spinners for boundaries. Between overs 11 to 15, Australia upped the ante to score 47 runs without losing a wicket. Stoinis had hammered 35 of these runs from only 16 deliveries. Head was 50 off 45 balls here.

At this point, Scotland were left with only one over of spin. Head had gone at a strike rate of only 85 against spin in the evening. 

The 30-year-old welcomed the right-arm medium pacer, Safyaan Sharif, with a hat-trick of sixes as Head finally shifted gears. When the team needed 60 off the last five overs, Head’s sudden counter-attack after batting calmly for 15 overs eventually brought 24 off the over, effectively killing the game for the Aussies in the blink of an eye. 

Head rushed from 50 off 45 balls to 68 off 49 balls before perishing in search of the fourth consecutive six. 

Head and Stoinis added 80 runs for the fourth wicket from only 44 balls. It is tough to believe but the left-hander, after a slow start, was the senior contributor in the partnership with 31 runs from 20 balls. 

"Head picked his bowlers and pretty much turned the game in that over with three sixes even though he got out," assessed Stoinis at the end of the game. 

For Australia, the result had no bearing, but the whirlwind stand closed the lid on Scotland’s campaign, allowing England to sail through. However, Head’s calculated and well-timed aggression would be the biggest takeaway from the Australian perspective. 

If you’ve not downloaded the Cricket.com app yet, you’re missing out — big time. Play Fantasy on Cricket.com NOW! Download the App here.