Birthday special: Travis Head – The second coming in Test cricket

Travis Head, born on 29th December 1993, has hogged the spotlight in the Ashes series against England for the way he has wielded the willow with aplomb. The left-handed batter has already scored 248 runs in 4 innings in The Ashes series and has scored his runs at an impressive average of 62.00. Also, Head has taken the attack to the England bowlers, and his strike rate of 86.71 in the 2021-22 Ashes series stands testimony to the same.

🏏 Three Test centuries with an average of 42.45
👏 10th on the ICC Test batting rankings
⚱️ A member of Australia’s victorious #Ashes squad

Happy birthday to Travis Head 🎂 pic.twitter.com/z3GaMcmlU7

— ICC (@ICC) December 28, 2021

Revival in Ashes

In fact, Head started the Ashes series in scintillating fashion, blasting a masterly 152 at a strike rate of 102.70. Head’s resplendent knock paved the way for the Aussies to thrash England by 9 wickets in the first Ashes Test at Brisbane, and from then on, the Pat Cummins led side has not looked back.

However, things were not smooth for Head in 2020 in Test cricket. In the whole of 2020, the left-hander could aggregate just 72 runs in 4 innings at a poor average of just 18.00. Also, Head was dismissed for a score of less than 20 in 3 out of the 4 innings that he played for the Aussies in 2020.

But then, the Aussie batter has roared back to form in 2021 and is now an integral part of the Aussie batting lineup in Test cricket. In fact, Australian Test skipper Pat Cummins also showered praises on Head after the left-hander scored his ton against England in the 1^st Test.

Cummins said that Head can take the game away from the opposition, and even though the left-hander is still young (Head is only 27), he has a lot of experience in first-class cricket.

“That’s why we want Travis Head in the side, he can take the game away in a couple of hours, we have seen him do it for South Australia. He averages 45 now, he is still young but is an old pro with the amount of first-class cricket he has played and hopefully he is away now,” said Cummins.

Yes. This has been a sort of second coming for Head. The Aussie has looked positive, is not afraid to play his shots, and has played a key role in Australia gaining an unassailable 3-0 lead in The Ashes. And, Head still has a long road ahead, and if he can continue in the same vein, the left-hander can establish himself as one of the most prominent members of the Australian Test setup. Here is wishing Head a happy 28^th birthday.