Former Australian captain Mark Taylor has identified the improvement in Ashes centurion Travis Head‘s game that allowed him to put Australia in the Ashes driver’s seat at the end of Day 2.
Head made the No.5 spot his own, pounding an unbeaten 112 off just 95 deliveries, the thirst-fastest ton in Ashes history, to give the home side a 196-run lead heading to stumps over a battered England outfit.
It was a terrific return for a player who had been axed during last summer’s series against India amid questions surrounding whether he was up to Test standard.
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The mid-on region proved to be one of the most fruitful spots on Head’s wagon wheel, with the left-hander scoring 22 runs in that area, and Taylor lauded his improved leg-side play.
“He looks a better player on the leg side,” Taylor told Wide World of Sports.
“Normally left-handers are very good leg-side players, but he looks to me like he’s playing a little straighter, a bit more towards mid-on for that ball on leg stump, which is a good sign.
“He generally tends to open up almost too much with that upper body and plays across his body a little bit and plays too square on the leg side.
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“Even the ball he brought up his century with, he punched down the ground through mid-on. If he can keep doing that, he’ll be a better player.”
Taylor praised Head for his aggressive mindset from the moment he arrived at the crease, with his knock snatching away any momentum England had built up through the quick wickets of Marnus Labuschagne, David Warner, Steve Smith and Cameron Green.
“It was a vital time for Australia because they were in front in the game, but they needed someone to kick them onto 300,” he said.
“They didn’t need to get bogged down at that time, they needed to keep England under pressure even though they were fighting back.
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“I always felt like if Australia could get a lead of 100-150 that they were going to be hard to beat, but with his knock and scoring so quickly and being so aggressive they’re now at a lead of nearly 200.
“It’s been great for the team and it’s been great for Travis Head because he’s now cemented his spot for the summer, which is a real tick for him and a real plus for Australian cricket.”
While Head looks to have secured his spot in the side with his brilliant knock, Taylor warned that greater tests lie ahead for the 27-year-old.
“Batting at No.5, you have to be versatile,” he said.
“He could come in at 3-30 and then you might have to play slightly differently, but as a top-order player those are the situations you’ve got to adapt to.
“He’s shown that he can be that aggressive player, but the next step will be if or when he does come in at 3-30, to see if he can maneuver his way through a little tough period and still flourish.”
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Head’s century was his fourth in Test cricket and his first in nine Ashes innings, with his previous best score against England the 51 he scored in the first Test of the 2019 series.
Taylor was far from the only one to lavish praise on the South Australian batsman, with former Australian wicket-keeper Adam Gilchrist labelling the knock “a statement of the finest quality” while on commentary for Fox Cricket.
“You know you’re a player that’s being watched closely,” ex-Aussie captain Allan Border added.
“You’ve had a couple of cracks at it. All of the talk pre-series – ‘should it be him, should it be (Usman) Khawaja, should it be someone else?’… so to then go out there and perform, it’s just so satisfying.”