Head on his remarkable Ashes second innings for the ages, says ‘It’s not going to get much bigger than this’.
Australia captain Steven Smith praised Travis Head for a “out of this world” innings after he offered to open the batting in place of the injured Usman Khawaja, which resulted in one of the most devastating innings in Test cricket. However, he acknowledged that he had to get over some self-doubt before the game.
At Perth Stadium, Head hit 123 off 83 balls with 16 fours and four sixes as Australia chased down 205 in 28.2 overs to secure an incredible two-day triumph. A few hours earlier, England had dominated the match.
With a mix of T20Is, ODIs, and one Sheffield Shield match, Head had been short on runs in the first half of the season. He has often shown an ability to flick a switch but admitted there had been a few nagging thoughts
“Probably not the prep that I would have liked going into the Test, but the process was right, the method was right,” he told Channel 7. “I did a lot of training. I trained all four days here, which is unheard of for me. I just found a little bit of rhythm.
“I’m never going to doubt my own ability, but I think when you have a big gap in Test cricket and you’re lying in bed a couple of nights before, you’re like, can I do it? Can you still produce it? Can you, as a cricketer each year, keep rolling out good scores in big moments? It’s not going to get much bigger than this.
“I think your mind just takes you to, am I good enough to still do it against the absolute best? I’m pleased to slap around a little bit today and get a score and get into the series and to be 1-0 up is a great way to contribute. But I wasn’t worried too much.”