Head’s late brilliance drives Aussies into ascendancy

Travis Head entered the opening Vodafone Ashes Test facing the same scrutiny that has punctuated his fraught tenure in the Australia line-up, but after a blazing century in a session that pushed his team to a dominant position he can breathe a little easier.

Perhaps not altogether comfortably, given the battering he copped from England fast bowler Mark Wood who landed a painful blow on Head's left arm and then an even more worrying hit to the Australian's jaw with a frightening chest-high full toss late in the day.

But Head, who was only inked on to Australia's team sheet in the days prior to the series starting, wore those bruises as a badge of honour having posted a remarkable century from 85 balls faced on a pitch that has made batting problematic for most, and a downright mystery for some.

The South Australian became the first men's player to score an Ashes ton in a session since Adam Gilchrist demolished England's bowlers at the WACA Ground in 2006, and the first Australian to achieve the feat since David Warner did it on the opening morning of the 2017 SCG Test against Pakistan.

He went to tea having not faced a ball, but emerged after the break to bludgeon 12 fours and a pair of sixes to pile further misery on England who endured another spirit-sapping day.

Much of that misfortune revolved around Warner, who was bowled off a no-ball (on 17), dropped at slip (on 48) and survived a run out chance (on 60) when sprawled chest-first on the pitch like a beached turtle before finally succumbing for 94.

The fact the normally bullish opener scored at barely a run every two balls during his innings of 94 today highlighted the value and velocity of Head's knock, that lifted Australia to 7-343 and a lead of 196 at the end of day two.

Recent history shows winning at the Gabba after surrendering a first-innings advantage is not impossible, given it's less than a year since India achieved it to claim the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

However, that differential was just 33 and the only other team to have managed it – Australia in a low-scoring start to the Ashes summer of 1990-91 – gave up a first innings lead of only marginally more (42).

The fact England already need to score more than they managed in their first innings to make Australia bat again is not their only issue of concern.

Mercurial all-rounder Ben Stokes, who should have claimed Warner's wicket in his opening over but for a foot-fault that might have been prevented had technology used to assist umpires not been on the blink, appeared to struggle throughout the afternoon with a left knee problem.

Stokes looked to have hurt himself when attempting to save a boundary off Labuschagne shortly before lunch, and despite being declared fit during the break he did not bowl during the afternoon session and seemed to limp noticeably when called into action late in the day.

That was deemed necessary because England's most successful bowler, seamer Ollie Robinson, limped from the field shortly before the second new ball became due with soreness in his right hamstring.

Robinson was largely responsible for England's brave fightback against the odds in the final session, snaring the wickets of Warner and Cameron Green from consecutive balls before debutant Alex Carey fell for 12 as Australia lost 4-47 in a mid-innings stumble.

Warner had seemed set for his 25th Test century having survived the travails of the first two sessions only to be surprised by a ball that seemingly stopped on him and brought a spooned drive, while Green shouldered arms to the next ball that clattered into off-stump.

But as injuries took toll and the squandered opportunities proved more costly, Head took his chance to both cash in on a weary opponent and seize his place in Australia's Test line-up.

After losing his place during the previous Ashes campaign in the UK and again as Australia fell to defeat to India last summer, Head found himself vying with Usman Khawaja for a place in the starting line-up for the Gabba.

He now stands alone as the only man to post a Test century within a single session at the ground, and the first to reach triple figures in a game that has tested the techniques of the game's best.

He also buttressed an Australia innings that was initially underpinned by the 156-run stand between Warner and Labuschagne, after England began the day with buoyed hope from the early removal of opener Marcus Harris.

Harris's struggles against England continued, his dismissal for three – to a languid forward push smartly snared at third slip – ensuring his Ashes record shows 61 runs from seven knocks at an average of 8.71 and a best return of 19 at Headingley in 2019.

During his 17-minute stay at the crease this morning, Harris experienced some sort of equipment malfunction with his bat which required the appearance of twelfth man Jhye Richardson carrying four potential replacements.

The one Harris selected was immediately shown to be too narrow when he played and missed at the next delivery from Robinson, but then proved too wide two balls later when Robinson secured England's first breakthrough.

It was to be England's tourists' sole moment of joy for more than three and a half hours, a passage of time that was filled with an entire Test match's worth of frustrations, near misses and associated annoyances that can readily fuel a touring party's belief they've been abandoned by fortune.

There was the back-foot push – perhaps an early indicator of events later in the day – from Warner (when on nine) that looped up and landed tantalisingly short of Stokes at extra cover.

Stokes then found the edge of Warner's bat with his second delivery in Test cricket for nine months, but the fact it flew wide of third slip and to the third man boundary only compounded England's exasperation when Warner's stumps were rattled two balls later.

Labuschagne had watchfully negotiated his way to 10 when he was squared up by Mark Wood, but played the ball with sufficiently soft hands it failed to carry to Joe Root set deep at slip.

And eight overs later, Australia's number three looked to up the tempo by aiming a pull shot at Stokes which landed just in front of Ollie Pope who had been deployed at leg gully for precisely that set play.

At that stage of his innings, Labuschagne had offered no stroke to half the balls he had faced – 22 out of his first 45 – as Australia inched their way to 50 midway through the 22nd over.

But the Test took on a markedly different complexion soon after when left-armer Leach was brought into the attack, and the by-now-set Australia pair went on the charge.

The hosts' next 50 arrived off seven overs, with 31 of those runs flowing from the 18 balls sent down by Leach including three launched beyond the boundary rope in what was evidently a pre-meditated attack.

The ploy replicated the manner in which England's most successful Test off-spinner Graeme Swann was targetted during the 2013-14 Ashes whitewash, in which Swann's seven wickets in the first three Tests cost him 80 runs apiece before he quietly retired.

Leach finished today with 1-95 from just 11 overs.

The strategy delivered the dual benefit of Leach's quick removal from the attack – which meant a minimal rest for the front-line quicks called hastily back into service – and a surge of momentum for Australia's innings.

From 1-41 at drinks in the morning session, Australia went to lunch 1-113 and as Warner joined Labuschagne in surpassing 50 soon after break the pair's partnership eclipsed England's sub-par first-day total.

However, it was the overt aggression towards Leach that brought the breakthrough against the run of play when – the ball after he had lifted the spinner beyond mid-off for another six – Labuschagne rocked back on a cut shot that flew from his bat's top edge to Wood at backward point.

The Queenslander could scarcely believe he had surrendered his wicket in such circumstances and within clear view of a maiden Ashes century, and the fillip it provided England soon grew to a full head of steam.

Smith's demise for 12 – an uncharacteristically indifferent stroke to a ball he might have let harmlessly pass outside off stump – brought him lowest score in an Ashes innings since he fell for six at Adelaide during England's previous tour down under.

Between those innings, Smith has tormented England with 1274 runs at an average of 127, so it was understandable his removal on the cusp of tea meant Root's men began the final session with renewed hope and purpose after such a demoralising start to their campaign.

Australia XI: David Warner, Marcus Harris, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood

England XI: Rory Burns, Haseeb Hameed, Dawid Malan, Joseph Root (c), Ben Stokes, Ollie Pope, Jos Buttler (wk), Chris Woakes, Ollie Robinson, Mark Wood, Jack Leach

Vodafone Men's Ashes

Squads

Australia: Pat Cummins (c), Steve Smith (vc), Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Marcus Harris, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, Jhye Richardson, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, David Warner

England: Joe Root (c), James Anderson, Jonathan Bairstow, Dom Bess, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Haseeb Hameed, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Dawid Malan, Craig Overton, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood

Schedule

First Test: December 8-12, The Gabba

Second Test: December 16-20, Adelaide Oval

Third Test: December 26-30, MCG

Fourth Test: January 5-9, SCG

Fifth Test: January 14-18, TBC