Adelaide [Australia], December 21 (ANI): Following his side’s Ashes series win, Australian opener Travis Head, who scored a marathon 219-ball 170 at his home turf, spoke on his role as an opener in the side, saying that he “likes the new role and the new ball.”
Head’s marathon 170, alongside a century from Alex Carey, a fellow South Australian, were two major highlights with the bat for Australia as they outbatted and outbowled England in yet another Ashes Test, sealing the series win and retaining the prestigious urn, with two more matches to go.
Speaking about his knock and newer role as an opener in this series after a long stint in the middle-order in Tests, Head said during the post-match presentation, “This is right up there, winning a series and getting runs in the second innings. I would’ve loved a few more, but I do not 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. It has been hard work, but awesome. The crowd has been pumping, as it should be. I am happy batting anywhere in the team. I feel like I am 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. There are opportunities to score, get off to quicker starts, and solve problems. Ron’s always talked about that, and I feel like that is what I bring.”
Head is the leading run-getter in the series with 379 runs in six matches at an average of 63.16 and a strike rate of over 88, with two centuries in six innings. After some opportunities to during the 2023 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Travis took the role in the middle order, with Usman Khawaja and David Warner as the opening combination until the latter’s retirement last year. After an opening batter revolving door involving Steve Smith, Nathan McSweeeney and Sam Konstas, Australia seems to have found a fine left-handed opening pair of Travis and Jake Weatherald, with the latter in line to get a permanent spot if veteran Usman Khawaja, now 39, hangs up his boots. For the vast majority of his career, Head has spent time slotted at number five, where he has had most of his success.
The Travis-Weatherald pair is a happy accident, which happened due to fitness concerns of Khawaja, who battled back spasms at Perth and was ruled out of the Brisbane Test.
Head also hailed Starc, saying that he can’t think of three games in a Test series better than the run he has had in the 2025/26 Ashes so far.
“I am not sure how many wickets he has (Starc) got in the series now, but I cannot think of three games in a series better than what he has produced with the ball, and then stepping up with the bat as well. He has been awesome. He really has,” he concluded.
So far in the Ashes, Starc has been the leading wicket-taker with 22 scalps at an average of 17.04, with two five-fors and best figures of 7/58. He has also contributed vital 150 runs with the ball at an average of 50.00, including two fifties.
After Australia won the toss, they opted to bat first. But the relentless pace of Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse put them in a soup at 94/4. It was Usman Khawaja’s veteran instincts and signature cuts and sweeps during his 126-ball 82, consisting of 10 fours, which slowly brought back the momentum to the Aussies, with Alex Carey also firing at the other end. Carey brought up his maiden Ashes ton, scoring 106 in 143 balls, with eight fours and a six. A half-century run stand between Mitchell Starc (54 in 75 balls, with eight fours) and Scott Boland (14*) troubled England just when they wanted to bundle Aussies for below 300. Aussies scored 371 in 91.2 overs.
Archer (5/53) delivered a brilliant fifer for England, with Josh Tongue and Will Jacks getting a couple each.
Later, Nathan Lyon (2/70) and skipper Pat Cummins (3/70) kept England away from forming big partnerships, reducing them to 168/8 by getting wickets just when England looked to find an escape. However, a century stand between skipper Ben Stokes (83 in 198 balls, with eight fours) and a resolute Archer (51 in 105 balls, with five fours and a six) powered England to 286, with their trail at 85 runs. Boland played a significant role in wiping out the tail-end with three wickets.
In their second innings, England had the upper hand over Australia at one point, with Australia at 149/4. However, hometown heroes Travis Head (170 in 219 balls, with 16 fours and two sixes) and Carey (72 in 128 balls, with six fours) revelled amid loud cheers from the crowd, outbattling England one delivery at a time. While England was better with the ball on day four and wiped them out for 349 runs, a record run-chase of 435 runs awaited England.
Tongue (4/80) and Carse (3/80) were amongst the top bowlers for England.
England’s run chase was one featuring promise and brain fades in equal measure. After a first ball boundary, Ben Duckett (4) lost his wicket while Ollie Pope (17) continued to find slip fielders. With England reduced to 31/2, Joe Root (39 in 63 balls, with five fours) and Harry Brook put on a 78-run stand, giving their team some normalcy. Root continued to be a “nicking machine”, falling to Cummins for the second time in the match and for the 13th time overall in Tests.
Crawley, who looked uncharacteristically patient, carried England’s hopes forward with Brook until a brain-fade reverse sweep from Brook ended his stay at 56 balls and triggered a mini-collapse from 177/3 to 194/6. Jamie Smith (60 in 83 balls, with seven fours) and Will Jacks put on a 91-run stand, making England fans believe and dare to dream until the adrenaline of counter-attacking Starc got the best of Jamie. Jacks (47 in 137 balls, with three fours) put on a half-century stand with Carse (39* in 64 balls, with four boundaries and a six) to keep England’s heart beating, but after Jacks was gone, there was no coming back as Australia bundled out England for 352 runs.
Cummins (3/48), Starc (3/62) and Lyon (3/77) shone with the ball, denying England another shot at an Ashes series win in Australia since 2010/11 and keeping them winless in Aussie land since that glorious moment. Australia took an unassailable 3-0 lead, and Carey was given the ‘Player of the Match’ honours for his knocks of 106 and 72. (ANI)
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