Travis Head’s devastating knock gives Australia’s selectors a dilemma
Accidents do not come much happier,Usman Khawaja’s mid-game back problem was annoying for the player and potentially damaging for his team, until it wasn’t,Clearing out the regular dry-powder opener created space in the final stanza of the Perth Test, allowing Travis Head to finish off England with the gory certainty and splatter count of a Mortal Kombat fatality move,Sometimes you mash the buttons and it all just works,Consider an Ashes innings of 123 from 83 balls, on a bouncy pitch where two other players nudged 50, in an effort that did not just win the match, but has sent the opposition into a demoralising tailspin.
So the fortuitous success creates a quandary about what to do next.Khawaja may not be passed fit for the second Test, but if he is should that be enough to reassure selectors his injury will not recur? And even if they believe he is ready should that be enough reason to retain him?During two years of uncertainty about Australia’s permanent opener, Head has been a regular suggestion from some quarters.It made some sense: there is the absence of a highly qualified candidate at domestic level, his history of thriving in seaming conditions and that he already does that job in both white-ball teams.His Perth performance has turned that rumble to a roar.Before proclaiming the case self-evident, it may be worth an appraisal of just how impressive his performance was in a historical contest.
Despite the relatively low target, there have been only eight bigger Ashes scores made in a successful fourth innings: the paired efforts of Don Bradman and Arthur Morris pursuing what was the world record of 404; hundreds on separate tours from the great opening pair Herbert Sutcliffe and Jack Hobbs; the Ben Stokes 2019 miracle at Headingley; Mark Butcher’s more subdued version at the same ground 18 years earlier; and innings from Australia’s Joe Darling and England’s Jack Brown,All of these are also dwarfed by Head’s strike rate of 148 – even the lightning final stages of the Stokes innings lifted his overall rate to only 62,Nine Ashes tons have been faster than a run a ball and the one faster than Head’s was Adam Gilchrist’s Waca declaration smash,In all Test cricket, five centuries have been faster and you can be assured that none of those were made in the fourth innings of a match,In terms of context, there is no equal.
Accordingly, probability says you can not pick this player expecting a similar innings to happen again,We have already seen the one that would define most careers,If Head tries to repeat the magic, it risks distracting his focus and making him attack too hard at the wrong time,Especially in a pink-ball Test, teeing off in the first innings in Brisbane would probably be far riskier than in the fourth innings in Perth,Khawaja has shown there are different ways to counter this threat, like his long, patient 145 against South Africa with a pink ball at Adelaide in 2016, batting more than seven hours to set up a win.
Sign up to The SpinSubscribe to our cricket newsletter for our writers' thoughts on the biggest stories and a review of the week’s actionafter newsletter promotionEqually, there is a strong argument that opening is a position of specialised risk and that Head has already won plenty of important matches for Australia from No 5.Putting him lower in the order leaves his gifts less subject to the peril of the moving ball at the top.With Jake Weatherald the new occupant of one opening spot, you can argue Australia do not need two punchy left-handers taking on the bowling from ball one.However sensible your stance, it may now be washed away by pure momentum.Anyone who saw that innings in Perth will want to know what happens if Head mashes another set of buttons.
If this innings would define careers for most players, for Head it might make the top five.Maybe there is scope from here to expand that to a top 10?It is reasonable sometimes to be greedy.As Australia weigh up their options, the sensible approach says no.The impulsive one says: that was fun, let’s do it again.
Travis Head’s devastating knock gives Australia’s selectors a dilemma
Accidents do not come much happier. Usman Khawaja’s mid-game back problem was annoying for the player and potentially damaging for his team, until it wasn’t. Clearing out the regular dry-powder opener created space in the final stanza of the Perth Test, allowing Travis Head to finish off England with the gory certainty and splatter count of a Mortal Kombat fatality move. Sometimes you mash the buttons and it all just works.Consider an Ashes innings of 123 from 83 balls, on a bouncy pitch where two other players nudged 50, in an effort that did not just win the match, but has sent the opposition into a demoralising tailspin
England asked for CCTV footage of Tom Curry’s alleged tunnel scuffle
England have been told to provide CCTV footage of the alleged tunnel bust-up between Tom Curry and Felipe Contepomi after Argentina lodged a formal complaint and demanded an investigation into the incident.It is understood that Six Nations Rugby – which organises the autumn Tests – has asked for England to provide footage as well as a formal statement before deciding whether to begin disciplinary proceedings. The Rugby Football Union is also expected to provide any other relevant video captured of the incident.In an extraordinary press conference after England’s 27-23 victory on Sunday, Contepomi described Curry as a “bully” and accused the flanker of shoving him in the tunnel and telling him to “fuck off”. Contepomi also claimed Curry had “broken” the knee of Juan Cruz Mallía with a “reckless” tackle in the 75th minute – the incident that sparked the post-match bad blood
England know how to win under Borthwick – now to handle great expectations | Gerard Meagher
After 11 successive victories, England will go into next year’s Six Nations as the team to beatA Six Nations grand slam, plus Nations Championship victories against South Africa and Fiji and England would head to Argentina next July having equalled their record run of 18 wins, in pursuit of a ground-breaking No 19. Sounds simple put like that, but there’s more chance of Steve Borthwick busting his best moves in England’s next viral TikTok video than him entertaining any thought of record runs.That is not to criticise, because even though Borthwick is allergic to looking too far ahead, doing so would be to get drastically carried away. The point here is that the more England keep winning, and they will enter the Six Nations next year as the team to beat after 11 on the trot, the more expectation increases.We got a glimpse of it just before half-time against Argentina
Budget may deliver result desired from racing’s ‘Axe the Tax’ campaign
After many months of campaigning, an unprecedented “strike” when racing relocated to London to make its voice heard and an intervention by a former prime minister, no less, the UK’s second-biggest spectator sport will soon discover whether its concerted, and impressively united, effort to avert a tax hike on racing bets, has paid off. With all due respect to the competitors at Wetherby, Market Rasen and Southwell on Wednesday, the main event for racing will be the 12.30 at Westminster, as Rachel Reeves rises to deliver her much-anticipated budget speech.The only result that can be ruled out with confidence is that gambling duties will be left untouched. There is a gaping black hole to be filled in the public finances and the UK’s gambling industry, which had a Gross Gambling Yield (total stakes minus total payouts) of £15
How did McLaren get it so wrong with their cars in Las Vegas? | Giles Richards
As misjudgments go, McLaren’s error in calculations that led to the disqualification of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri from the Las Vegas Grand Prix on Sunday could barely have been more cataclysmic nor more poorly timed. Quite how they got it wrong just when they wanted to close out the drivers’ championship with as little fuss as possible will take no little explanation.Norris and Piastri, second and fourth respectively to Max Verstappen’s win in Nevada, had been solid enough results until the FIA discovered the skid blocks on their cars had been worn beyond the 9mm limit. In one fell swoop, Verstappen was right back in the fight, alongside Piastri, 24 points back from Norris.It is exactly the sort of proximity to set nerves jangling unnecessarily with two meetings remaining and 58 points up for grabs
England batters opt out of pink-ball warm-up match despite first Ashes Test failures
To hell with the optics was the message from England on Monday after confirmation that none of the players who collapsed to the shattering two-day defeat in the first Ashes Test will change tack and travel to Canberra.In a move that risks drawing further ire, only Jacob Bethell, Josh Tongue and Matthew Potts – all unused in Perth – will join the Lions at Manuka Oval, where Andrew Flintoff’s shadow touring party will take on a Prime Minister’s XI in a two-day floodlit fixture that starts on Saturday.Cricket Australia originally slated the fixture for England’s first team as a warm-up for the day-night second Test that starts in Brisbane on 4 December, only to be informed a number of weeks ago that the Lions would be taking their place instead. It was felt the ground’s slow pitch would not prepare the players adequately before the traditional bounce of the Gabba.Although the head coach, Brendon McCullum, did then offer individuals the chance to divert to Canberra after the defeat in Perth, only three fringe players took up the offer
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