Tag: Travis Head

PERTH: Travis Head delivered a record-smashing performance on Saturday, firing a rapid 69-ball century to put Australia on the brink of a thrilling first Ashes Test win against England at Optus Stadium.

Tasked with opening alongside debutant Jake Weatherald due to Usman Khawaja struggling with an injury, Head seized control on a challenging pitch, turning the chase of 205 into a one-sided affair.

Head’s explosive innings featured 12 fours and four sixes, bringing up his century with a single when Australia was at 146.

The knock marked the second-fastest century in Ashes history, surpassing Gilbert Jessop’s 76-ball effort for England back in 1902, and also eclipsed Head’s previous fastest Test ton of 85 balls.

Fastest Hundreds (by balls taken) in Ashes Tests

• 59 – Adam Gilchrist (AUS), Perth 2006
• 69 – Travis Head (AUS), Perth Today
• 78 – Gilbert Jessop (ENG), The Oval 1902
• 85 – Joe Darling (AUS), Sydney 1898
• 85 – Travis Head (AUS), Brisbane 2021

It ranks as the joint-third fastest century by an Australian in Tests, tying David Warner’s 69-ball effort against India in Perth in 2012. Only Adam Gilchrist’s 57-ball hundred in 2006 and Jack Gregory’s 67-ball century in 1921 remain quicker.

Fastest Hundreds for Australia (by balls taken) in Tests:

• 59 – Adam Gilchrist v ENG, Perth 2006
• 67 – Jack Gregory v SA, Johannesburg 1921
• 69 – David Warner v IND, Perth 2012
• 69 – Travis Head v ENG, Perth Today
• 78 – David Warner v PAK, Sydney 2017

Head, however, fell prey to Brydon Carse when Australia needed 13 more runs to win the game. He went back to the pavillion after scoring 123 runs from 83 balls, laced with 16 fours and four sixes.

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Earlier, Australia’s pace duo of Scott Boland and Mitchell Starc ripped through England’s top order, setting the stage for Head’s heroics.

England, cruising at 65-1 in their second innings, collapsed to 88-6 after lunch, with Boland taking out Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, and Harry Brook in a devastating spell of 11 balls.

Starc struck twice in quick succession, dismissing Joe Root and Ben Stokes, completing his 10-wicket haul for only the third time in his career, following his first-innings 7-58.

A brief 50-run stand between Gus Atkinson (37) and Brydon Carse (20) offered some resistance before England were bowled out for 164 on the cusp of tea.

Boland finished with 4-33 while Starc claimed 3-55, leaving Australia well-positioned to chase down the target.

READ: New Zealand sweep West Indies ODI series with convincing win

Australia’s middle-order mainstay Travis Head has opted out of the final two T20Is against India, choosing instead to fine-tune his red-ball form ahead of the upcoming Ashes series by turning out for South Australia in the Sheffield Shield.

Head will feature in the Shield clash against Tasmania in Hobart next week, marking his first first-class appearance since Australia’s tour of the West Indies in July.

The move, largely driven by the left-hander himself, comes as he looks to regain rhythm in the longest format following a lean patch in white-ball cricket, where he’s managed a top score of just 31 in eight innings since his explosive 142 against South Africa in August.

A pillar of Australia’s Test setup, Head is expected to resume his No. 5 role, known for its counter-attacking spark in pressure situations.

Sources within Cricket Australia (CA) indicated that the decision was mutually supported, allowing Head to focus on red-ball preparation in match conditions rather than nets.

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The upcoming Sheffield Shield round now promises to be a star-studded one, with several Test regulars returning to their state sides ahead of squad selection for the England series.

Josh Hazlewood, who left the T20I squad after the second game in Melbourne, will link up with Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon for New South Wales against Victoria.

Sean Abbott will also join them after the Hobart T20I, while Steven Smith, fresh off a classy 118 against Queensland, is confirmed for his second Shield appearance this season.

Meanwhile, Victoria are set to field Scott Boland after a short rest, and Cameron Green will represent Western Australia against Queensland, expected to resume bowling for the first time since the season opener.

Marnus Labuschagne is also likely to feature, seeking valuable time in the middle before his Test return, while Matt Renshaw continues to press for an opening berth.

For Tasmania, all-rounder Beau Webster and pacer Brendan Doggett will take the field alongside Alex Carey and Head, adding further international experience to the contest.

READ: India release Kuldeep Yadav from squad ahead of remaining Australia T20Is

Australia’s explosive opening batter, Travis Head, has sent a strong message to India ahead of their five-match T20I series, stating that they can score any total.

The series between two power-packed sides will begin tomorrow at the Manuka Oval. Mitchell Marsh will captain the Australia side while Suryakumar Yadav will lead India.

Speaking to Cricket Australia on the eve of the opening match, Head named the big power hitters in the lineup and stressed an aggressive approach.

“When you’ve got the power that we’ve got behind us, you’ve got to get a move on,” the left-hander remarked.

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“You don’t want to be chewing up balls at the start when you’ve got guys like Tim David, Marcus Stoinis, Josh Inglis, Cameron Green, and Glenn Maxwell behind you. It’s huge power,” he continued.

Travis Head expressed confidence in scoring above par totals and to go all out from the onset as per the modern-day cricket demands.

“We can score anything if we get going,” Head said. “For Mitch (Marsh) and me, the plan is to make the most of the Powerplay. It’s been a strength of ours in both ODIs and T20s. We try not to be reckless, but sometimes it might look that way. The goal is to get as many runs as possible early on.”

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SYDNEY: Australia’s ace duo Pat Cummins and Travis Head were reportedly offered nearly $10 million to forgo international cricket and play T20 franchise cricket full-time, according to a report in ‘The Sydney Morning Herald’.

According to the report, both players from Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) were offered a hefty sum by an Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise.

However, Cummins and Head turned down the offers worth $10 million, approximately Rs 2.8 billion, and prioritized the Australian cricket team.

For context, several IPL teams have a foothold on the global T20 franchises spanning the USA, UAE, South Africa, and most recently The Hundred, where Indian investors have bought stakes in the teams.

Notably, Pat Cummins’ earnings are closer to $3 3million from playing international cricket, apart from the added money that comes with being Australia’s captain.

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Meanwhile, Travis Head has expressed his views on what it is like to play franchise cricket around the globe.

“I played MLC to get a taste of what it would be like to play franchise cricket,” Head told the Sydney Morning Herald. “I had IPL into a World Cup into MLC, so I wanted to see what it was like to basically play four months of franchise cricket.

“You want to have every option available to you, you want to experience things and understand how things operate,” he continued.

The left-hander also mentioned that his ultimate goal is to play for Australia.

“Whether I could do it, whether I liked it, whether I was good at it. I hadn’t played a lot of T20 cricket for a period of time, so get back into that. It was a perfect time in my life [to do that], then that time moves past.”

“Currently I’m playing for Australia, and I don’t see a timeline where I can play anything [else] really,” Head concluded.

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Australia have named their first-choice opening duo of Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head for the T20 World Cup, which is set to commence in Sri Lanka and India next year.

The T20I skipper, Mitchell Marsh, on Friday confirmed that he and southpaw Travis Head will occupy the top two spots until next year’s shorter format World Cup.

The announcement came ahead of the three-match T20I series opener against South Africa, which is set to begin on August 10 at Darwin.

“It’ll be myself and Heady [Travis Head] up the top for the foreseeable future,” Marsh told reporters in Darwin on Friday.

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“Obviously we’ve played a lot together, (we’ve) got a great relationship, so (we’ll) start there.”

Australia is coming off a 5-0 clean sweep over West Indies, where Marsh opened the batting in all five matches, a thing he had done only once before the tour.

Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head had never opened in the T20I format for Australia; however, they have been pivotal in ODIs, boasting an excellent record.

The pair have amassed 282 runs in just five innings at a stellar average of 70.50 in the shorter format.

Across all formats, Marsh and Head have accumulated 504 runs across 14 innings at an average of 38.67, including one century and three half-century partnerships.

Australia T20 squad:

Mitchell Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matt Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Owen, Matthew Short, Adam Zampa

Schedule of Australia-South Africa T20I Series 

August 10: First T20I, Marrara Stadium, Darwin

August 12: Second T20I, Marrara Stadium, Darwin

August 16: Third T20I, Cazalys Stadium, Cairns

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Australia’s middle-order batter Travis Head has urged his team to move on from the loss against South Africa in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final at the iconic Lord’s stadium.

Travis Head remained optimistic about Australia’s chances ahead of their new World Cup Test Championship campaign, which is set to commence on Wednesday with a three-match series against the West Indies.

“There’s added motivation to go out there and play well,” Head said ahead of the first Test in Barbados while admitting that Australia did not play according to expectations against the Proteas.

 

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The southpaw expressed confidence in his team’s chances in the upcoming WTC cycle, stressing the need to move on from the loss.

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“We’ve got two more years to build, and this is another first look at it, so I think if you dwell on it for too long or if you look back, you forget about what’s moving forward,” he said.

“Of course, we care and, of course, it’s not ideal. But at the end of the day you can’t change it. You have to move on. You have to get back on the horse,” Travis Head added.

It is noteworthy to mention that Australia will be without the services of ace batter Steve Smith, who is recovering from a finger injury in New York. In contrast, former No.1 Test-ranked batter Marnus Labuschagne has been axed from the squad due to a slump in form.

Travis Head is now the most experienced middle-order batter in the Test against the West Indies.

They [the pitches] spun a little bit here,” he recalled. “They were pretty slow, but I’ve heard different things, especially with the Dukes and what that brings,” Head said of West Indies pitches on the back of his experience in the Caribbean.

Australia Squad For West Indies Tests

Pat Cummins (c), Sam Konstas, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Steve Smith, Josh Inglis, Travis Head, Alex Carey, Beau Webster, Mitchell Starc, Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon, Matt Kuhnemann

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South Africa all-rounder Wiaan Mulder has revealed an emotional chat with Australia’s explosive batter Travis Head after South Africa clinched the ICC World Championship (WTC) title at the iconic Lord’s cricket ground.

The Proteas ended their 27-year wait for an ICC title with a five-wicket win against the defending champions, Australia, in the WTC final.

Aiden Markram starred with the bat, scoring 136 runs in a vital partnership formed with skipper Temba Bavuma.

Wiaan Mulder, who was a teammate of Travis Head in the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) team during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, has discussed their conversation after the WTC final.

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“I actually spoke to him (Head) last night on the phone,” Mulder told ICC Digital. “He was happy for us and the way things went. Of course, he was heartbroken that they didn’t win, but I think the spirit of the game was as high and as good as it could be.”

Mulder hailed Aussies as true champions while praising Travis Head and Pat Cummins for their demeanour.

“When you think about the Aussies, you often think of them as being a bit aggressive at times, but these guys are true champions,” he said. “Heady is one of the nicest people around, and Patty (Pat Cummins) is also a great guy,” he said.

The right-handed all-rounder who did not play a single match in the IPL shared insights during his stint with SRH.

“I spent a lot of time with them during the IPL. There was a lot of friendly banter,” Mulder said.

It is noteworthy to mention that Wiaan Mulder was asked to bat at number three in the WTC despite not being a regular at this number. The 27-year-old scored six and 27 runs in the Test match; however, he got the prized wicket of Travis Head in Australia’s second innings.

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Australia stand-in captain Steve Smith confirmed Travis Head as the new opening partner of Usman Khawaja for the first Test against Sri Lanka starting on Wednesday.

Due to Head’s ability to play spin very well and his previous successful tour of India in 2023, he could be vital against the spin-heavy Sri Lankan team in the upcoming two-match Test series.

“He (Head) did really nicely in India against the new ball. He put spinners under pressure immediately and we know how well he hits the seam as well if they come with that,” said Smith on the eve of the first Test against Sri Lanka.

“It’s going to be good fun watching him.”

With Travis Head moving up the order, Sam Konstas and Nathan McSweeney, who featured in the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy as openers, will likely be the candidates to fill the No.05 spot for Australia.

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However, Smith did not confirm, who would be taking up the role, while acknowledging that even if Konstas does not get a game, he would still benefit from this tour.

“He [Konstas] is going to have a lot of practice if he doesn’t play, which in itself is great for development,” Smith said.

“So whether he plays or not, I think it’s going to be a wonderful experience for him. He’s going to learn a lot.”

Smith also confirmed that the World Test Championship (WTC) finalists Australia will finalise their Playing XI before the toss after assessing the conditions in Galle.

It’s worth noting that Australia will be aiming for their first Test series win in Sri Lanka since 2011 when Michael Clarke led them to a 1-0 victory.

Australia Test squad for Sri Lanka Tour

Steve Smith (c), Travis Head, Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Matt Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Nathan McSweeney, Todd Murphy, Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster

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DUBAI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Monday revealed the nominees for the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for Men’s Cricketer of the Year, including Australia’s hard-hitting batter Travis Head and India’s ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah.

Travis Head and Jasprit Bumrah are joined by England’s formidable duo of Joe Root and Harry Brook, both of whom had a spectacular year with the bat in the longest format of cricket.

Root, the number-one ranked batter in Test cricket, has amassed a remarkable total of 1,556 runs from 17 matches, boasting an impressive average of 55.57 in 2024.

This year continued to solidify Root’s legacy in Test cricket, as he became the only player to score over a thousand runs in a calendar year for the fifth consecutive time.

Meanwhile, his compatriot Brook dazzled the cricketing world with a stunning maiden triple century in Pakistan in October, contributing to England’s third-highest total in Test history.

Over the course of the year, this rising star accumulated an impressive 1,100 runs in just 12 matches, averaging 55.00.

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On the other hand, Australia’s Travis Head continued his exceptional form from 2023 into the current year.

Known for his big-match prowess, the left-handed batsman showcased an aggressive style in the T20 format, finishing as one of the top run-scorers at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.

His prowess was evident as he racked up 539 runs in 15 innings with a phenomenal strike rate of 178.47. In the longer format, he maintained a solid performance, amassing 608 runs across nine Test matches at an average of 40.53, with a top score of 152.

Meanwhile, Jasprit Bumrah was in electrifying form across all formats this year, playing a pivotal role in his team’s significant victories, including conquering the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.

Bumrah claimed 15 wickets from eight matches, showcasing his skill in a thrilling final against South Africa where he grabbed crucial wickets.

His prowess extended to Test cricket as well, where he claimed an astounding 71 wickets in just 13 matches, underscoring his status as one of the leading fast bowlers in the game today.

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DUBAI: India pacer Mohammed Siraj and Australia batter Travis Head have been penalised by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Monday for breaching the Code of Conduct during the second Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Australia crushed India by ten wickets in the second Test to level the series on the back of their dominant bowling effort and Travis Head’s 140-run knock.

Notably, the incident unfolded in the 82nd over when Siraj bowled Head. As the bails flew off the stumps, Siraj couldn’t help but express his excitement, coming within close proximity to the departing batsman.

Siraj pointed toward the Australian dressing room, seemingly to emphasize the significance of the wicket.

However, this send-off did not go unnoticed by the match officials. As a result, Siraj faced a penalty, being fined 20% of his match fee for violating Article 2.5 of the ICC Code of Conduct.

“Siraj has been fined 20 per cent of his match fee after being found to have breached article 2.5 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel,” the ICC stated in a press release.

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“[this article] relates to “using language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter upon dismissal.”

Meanwhile, Head also found himself facing disciplinary action under Article 2.13 of the ICC Code of Conduct.

“Head was reprimanded after he was found to have breached Article 2.13 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel,” the ICC added.

Both Mohammed Siraj and Travis Head accepted the charges brought against them, along with the penalties suggested by the Match Referee Ranjan Madugalle.

Moreover, one demerit point was added to both of their disciplinary records, marking their first offence within the past 24 months.

READ: Can Sri Lanka still qualify for WTC final after South Africa series defeat?