After Australia’s Ashes series victory, opener Travis Head expressed his satisfaction with his new role at the top of the order, admitting that he is enjoying opening the innings and facing the new ball.
Playing at his home ground, Head produced a magnificent knock of 170 off 219 balls, which proved decisive in Australia’s dominance over England. Alongside him, Alex Carey also played a crucial role with a well-crafted century, as Australia outperformed England comprehensively with both bat and ball.
With this win, Australia sealed the series and retained the Ashes urn with two matches still remaining. Head has been the standout performer of the series so far, emerging as the leading run-scorer with 379 runs from six innings. He has maintained an impressive average of 63.16 and a strike rate exceeding 88, highlighting his aggressive yet controlled approach. His tally includes two centuries, underlining his consistency and impact at the top of the order throughout the series.
“This is right up there, winning a series and getting runs in the second innings. I would’ve loved a few more, but I don’t know how much longer I could’ve gone for another couple of hours. To set the game up in the third innings on a good wicket, I felt it was there. Batting all day is still a bit new to me, so that was nice. I’m looking forward to not doing tickets every morning. It’s been hard work but awesome. The crowd’s been pumping, as it should be. Record numbers again today, it’s been a huge week,” said Head in the post-match presentation.
“Bit of a rev-up from the boys. I’d seen Dave Warner bat here, so I thought the fourth time, I might as well kiss the wicket. It’s been pretty good to me. Probably a bit out of my comfort zone, but it got a rise out of the lads. I forget sometimes it’s a national stage, I’m really just trying to make the 15 blokes and staff laugh and enjoy it. Nice one to put on the wall. I’m happy batting anywhere in the team. I feel like I’m batting well. I was disappointed with a couple of starts earlier in the series, so backing innings up has been important. I like the new role, I like the new ball,” he added.
Australia’s opening position became a revolving door following David Warner’s retirement, with the selectors experimenting with several options in search of stability. Players such as Steven Smith, Nathan McSweeney, and Sam Konstas were tried at the top of the order, but none managed to deliver consistent results.
The emergence of a left-handed opening combination featuring Head and Jake Weatherald, however, turned out to be a happy accident. This pairing came into existence due to fitness concerns surrounding Usman Khawaja, who struggled with back spasms during the Perth Test and was subsequently ruled out of the Brisbane Test.
