Dropped from the Test side last summer, Travis Head has marked his return to first class cricket in style, knocking 163 runs in the Sheffield Shield.
Travis Head has fired a warning shot to Aussie selectors ahead of the Ashes this summer by hitting a whopping 163 runs in South Australia’s Sheffield Shield match against Western Australia.
Head was dropped from the national side following last year’s Boxing Day Test but, playing first class cricket on home soil for the first time since April, the 27-year-old showed exactly why he has long been considered the future captain of the Aussie side.
On Saturday afternoon, the South Australians were staring down the barrel of yet another hefty loss — the Redbacks have not tasted victory since February 2020 — until their skipper partnered with new recruit Jake Carder to turn the tide.
Head slogged, smacked and stupefied on his way to his 16th first class ton, more than making up for a skinny showing in the sides’ One Day Cup clash earlier in the week.
It was the easiest of Shaun Marsh catches from a Joel Paris delivery that finally brought the curtain down on Head’s stellar innings.
By the time his wicket fell, the Redbacks were 68 runs shy of the Western Australian’s total of 465 — the bulk of which was posted by Test tyro Cameron Green, wicketkeeper Josh Philippe and Marsh himself.
Head was on the cusp of a Test recall earlier in the year, having been named in the squad to travel to South Africa before the tour was cancelled, and should he keep his form up, could well get the chance to add to his 19 appearances in the baggy green this summer.
Playing in his first match against his former side, Carder showed just what the West Australians have missed out on by letting him go.
“There’s a bit of a comfort factor against your old team, but it also ramps up the nerves a bit. It’s a bit of a double-edged sword,” Carder said.
The 25-year-old belted the first century (118) of his young first class career, more than doubling his previous topscore of 58.
“It’s obviously a great start. Hopefully one of a few more (centuries). It was nice to get the first one away,” he said.
“There’s a bit of a comfort factor against your old team, but it also ramps up the nerves a bit. It’s a bit of a double-edged sword.”
The South Australian tail-order saw to it that the total was chased down. Debutant Nathan McAndrew, who dominated the first day with his fast-bowling, refused to be dismissed, chalking up 65 to keep the Redbacks at the crease for the majority of the day.
When his compatriots were all dismissed, the Western Australians finally had a chance to bat, registering 1/76 before the day was out.
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