Local hero Head pushes case to be an all-time great

Five days prior to Australia's encounter with the West Indies at Adelaide Oval, South Australia's all-time greatest men's XI – as voted by the historic ground's famously parochial membership – was revealed at the annual Test Match Dinner.

Perhaps reflecting the voting panel's somewhat senior status, current SA captain Travis Head was not deemed worthy of a place in the top six of that team that admittedly included the game's two greatest-ever who were blow-ins from elsewhere – Sir Donald Bradman (from New South Wales) and Sir Garfield Sobers (ex-Barbados).

Had that poll been conducted a week later, after Head completed a typically entertaining century and thereby became the only batter thus far in this bowler-dominated Test to better 50, then it's a reasonable bet he might have supplanted one of the all-time greats named ahead of him.

In the course of his 119 from 134 balls that was almost solely responsible for Australia's 95-run first innings lead, Head became just the fifth SA men's batter to pass 3,000 Test runs having reached the milestone in his 46th outing in the Baggy Green Cap.

The other four were all members of the greatest outfit that was unveiled on Saturday night (along with the equivalent SA women's team).

Opener Clem Hill was the first from the foundation state of Australian cricket to reach 3,000 Test runs (in 1911), then Bradman (1933), Ian Chappell (1973) and his younger brother Greg (1976).

The other local legends in that team's top six were prolific scorers in SA's red cap who did not crack the 3,000 club – opener Greg Blewett (2552 Test runs) and former Australia coach Darren Lehmann (1798).

But it's not just the volume of runs Head has amassed in his four iterations as a Test batter since his debut in the UAE during the post-Cape Town reshuffle of Australia's men's team, it's the method he's employed and the scenarios in which he's excelled.

Once considered the fearless front-runner opposition sides feared coming through the gate with the total 3-380, he's reinvented himself to become the guy his own dressing room turns to when they're three down for several hundred less.

"Being at five, if we're flying and on heaps then probably my role is a bit different and I'm a bit more aggressive and take it on, so you may not see bigger scores," Head said of his growing reputation for playing his most influential hands when the stakes are highest.

"But when we're in the positions that we are (in trouble) I've got to bat a bit longer."

Over the past year or so, Head has defied critics who previously labelled him a 'see-ball, hit-ball' kind of player who relied more on natural ability than carefully hewn defence to produce game-changing knocks on challenging surfaces.

There's the 92 he plundered against South Africa at Brisbane last summer when no other Australia batter reached 40, his 163 that changed the course of the World Test Championship Final against India on a tricky track at The Oval, or now another game-high contribution on his home patch.

Those innings share the common element of coming on pitches where bowlers were rampant, and unfurling innings of such crispness and clarity they grant the appearance Head is batting on a different plane if not an alternative strip.

The way he explains, it's those conditions where the ball is nibbling off the seam that bowlers are more likely to pitch fuller and deploy catchers behind the wicket which, in turn, opens up his preferred scoring options off the front foot.

Under those circumstances, he takes his chances and usually grabs the initiative.

And he claims his extensive experience at Adelaide Oval, more so against the red ball at Marsh Sheffield Shield level than in recent day-night Tests that utilise the markedly different pink version, has aided that part of his game exponentially.

"It may help playing here where it's been a bit challenging on the front foot," he said last night as Australia closed within sight of another Test win with West Indies 6-73 in the second innings and still 22 runs in arrears.

"My biggest strength is off the front shoe and through the off-side, so I guess when the wicket's offering something and there's three or four slips and a gully, there's also a fair bit of room to score.

"When you pitch it up and it's see-sawing around and seaming, I've found a way to score runs and I think I'm positive around that.

"We've played a lot of pink-ball cricket here over the years and we probably forget the pink ball probably goes a bit softer, so there's moments when you feel more 'in'.

"But in Shield cricket the red ball stays harder for longer, and that 25-30 overs is the really hard part and if you get through that and the ball gets a bit softer.

"But we've found this Test the ball's stayed quite hard and made that feel challenging throughout the innings, and by the time you feel  'in' it's close to the second new ball.

"So the experience of Shield cricket definitely helped me today."

When he takes the field in the second NRMA Insurance Test against West Indies in Brisbane next week, Head will also become the most-capped Test batter from South Australia since Greg Chappell (87 matches) who was a spectator at Adelaide Oval today.

Of the other all-time SA greats to have reached 3000 in Tests, only Bradman (103) and Greg Chappell (55) have done so at a better average than Head's current 44 which further underscores the likelihood of the left-hander's selection if the selectors were to convene again.

That experience has also enabled the long-time SA captain to problem solve on his feet, and deal better with bowling plans such as England's bouncer ploy during last year's Ashes and Pakistan's strategy to have him caught behind point on the off-side earlier this summer.

When he went to the crease today with Australia unexpectedly under the pump at 3-67, he was greeted by a series of short ball as the West Indies read from England's play book.

"Originally the plan to Head was pretty much go short at him up front, then plan B was to come back into him and shut him down which we did most of the time," West Indies coach Andre Coley said at day's end.

"But by the time he was set, bowlers were jaded."

As it turned out, because of the helpful nature of the well-grassed Adelaide pitch Head found playing the short stuff an easier assignment than his previously preferred front-foot method where the late movement meant he often found the inside edge of the bat.

The couple of play and misses that came at the start of his three-and-a-half-hour stay gave way to the occasional mishit and, by the time he was starting to run short of batting partners, his canny eye was in and after taking 77 balls to post his half-century, his next 50 came off just 45.

"I felt it got (the short-ball ploy) me going and got me into the innings, because I've been pretty keen and eager to get into the game," Head said tonight, having completed his seventh Test ton and the second in as many outings in front of his Adelaide family, friends and fans

"So I felt like I played the short ball a lot better today than I did everything on the front foot.

"In England, I felt like I had the front foot in control and not so much (the short ball) so it's weird how your game is feeling.

"But happy memories.

"It will be a nice one to reflect on and to be on the (Adelaide Oval honours) board again is nice."

NRMA Insurance Test series v West Indies

First Test: January 17-21, Adelaide Oval (10.30am AEDT)

Second Test: January 25-29, Gabba (3pm AEDT)

Australia Test squad: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Matthew Renshaw, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc

West Indies Test squad: Kraigg Brathwaite (c), Alzarri Joseph (vc), Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Kirk McKenzie, Alick Athanaze, Kavem Hodge, Justin Greaves, Joshua Da Silva, Akeem Jordan, Gudakesh Motie, Kemar Roach, Kevin Sinclair, Tevin Imlach, Shamar Joseph, Zachary McCaskie

Men's Dettol ODI Series v West Indies

February 2: MCG, 2.30pm AEDT

February 4: SCG, 2.30pm AEDT

February 6: Manuka Oval, Canberra 2.30pm AEDT

Australia ODI squad: Steve Smith (c), Travis Head (vc), Sean Abbott, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Lance Morris, Jhye Richardson, Matt Short, Adam Zampa

West Indies ODI squad: Shai Hope (c), Alzarri Joseph, Alick Athanaze, Teddy Bishop, Keacy Carty, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Justin Greaves, Kavem Hodge, Tevin Imlach, Gudakesh Motie, Kjorn Ottley, Romario Shepherd, Oshane Thomas, Hayden Walsh Jr.

Men's Dettol T20I Series v West Indies

February 9: Blundstone Arena, Hobart 7.00pm AEDT

February 11: Adelaide Oval, 7pm AEDT

February 13: Perth Stadium, 7pm AEDT

West Indies T20I squad: Rovman Powell (c), Shai Hope, Johnson Charles, Roston Chase, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Kyle Mayers, Gudakesh Motie, Nicholas Pooran, Andre Russell, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd, Oshane Thomas