Travis Head Shines Again: A Century on Home Turf in the Ashes Test
Travis Head's Remarkable Performance at Adelaide Oval
Adelaide: Travis Head celebrated his century by kneeling on the pitch and kissing it, marking his fourth consecutive Test century at the iconic Adelaide Oval.
It was a classic display of 'Travball' on Day 3 of the third Ashes Test.
The Australian batsman was given a lifeline at 99 when he edged a delivery from Jofra Archer, which was dropped by Harry Brook at gully. Earlier, he had attempted a quick single off a Joe Root delivery but was sent back by his partner Alex Carey.
Head faced eight balls without adding to his score while on 99, but then took a bold step down the pitch, driving the ball over Root's head to reach 103.
This marked his 11th century in 63 Tests and his second in just five innings since moving up to open the batting in Perth, where he played a crucial role in Australia's eight-wicket victory to kick off the series.
By the end of the day, Head remained unbeaten on 142, forming a solid partnership of 122 runs with fellow South Australian Carey, who scored 52. Australia stood at 271-4, leading by 356 runs.
Brook made two impressive catches in the slips to dismiss Marnus Labuschagne (13) and Cameron Green (7) off Josh Tongue's bowling, but missing the catch against Head proved to be a significant error.
After dismissing England for 286 just before lunch, the Australians took to the crease, with Ben Stokes and Archer contributing to a record ninth-wicket partnership of 106 runs, reducing the first-innings deficit to 85 runs.
Stokes exited the field visibly frustrated after being bowled for 83 by Mitchell Starc, concluding a resilient 198-ball innings that brought England back into contention.
Having lost the first two Tests in Perth and Brisbane, England's hopes of staying competitive in the five-Test series appeared slim when Stokes came to bat with the score at 71-4 on Day 2.
With England struggling at 168-8, Stokes teamed up with No. 10 Archer to see out the evening session. They resumed on Friday with England at 213 for eight, still trailing by 158 runs.
Australia aimed to wrap up the last two wickets quickly, but Stokes and Archer, who had taken five wickets in the first innings, held their ground.
Stokes advanced down the wicket to Scott Boland for a boundary, bringing up their 50-run partnership off 89 balls, and reached his half-century with a single off 159 balls, marking his slowest 50 in Test cricket — his 37th, yet crucial for his team.
Shortly after, Archer secured his first Test half-century off 97 balls, bringing England's deficit under 100.
However, the innings concluded swiftly when Starc bowled Stokes with a delivery that angled back. The Stokes-Archer partnership set a record for the highest ninth-wicket stand for England at Adelaide.
The prolonged exposure to the sun affected England's bowling attack, with Archer, who had taken five wickets in the first innings, finishing with 0-15 in 10 overs. Stokes, England's leading wicket-taker this year, did not bowl.
Despite the challenges, England has shown the ability to chase significant targets in the fourth innings, having successfully chased 370-plus against India twice in the last three years, indicating that Bazball remains a viable strategy despite Stokes' cautious first innings.