Travis Head played an all-time innings at Perth to hand Australia a 1-0 lead in the Ashes. Chasing 205, Head smashed 123 off 83 to seal victory inside two days on a difficult wicket. Head's effort was his 10th Test century and the fastest in a 4th innings of a Test match.
After bashing the England bowlers to all parts of the ground, the Australian left journalists in splits in a hilarious press conference with Steve Smith. When the Australian captain was quizzed whether it was one of the best Ashes innings ever, Head was quick to butt in.
"No, it's not. Not even close," he said, leaving Smith in splits.
Smith meanwhile was all praise for his teammate and praised him for taking the responsibility of finishing the job. Australia were without Usman Khawaja who struggled with a back issue with Head opting to open instead.
And while Travis Head appeared humble after his usual exploits, he turned it up when Smith said the conditions had become easier to bat later in the day.
"The wicket kind of gets better at the end of Day 2. It was probably at its best for the game this late this evening," Smith said on questions regarding the surface.
Head interrupted his captain again with a sheepish grin, and his hysterical reaction saw the press conference room erupt in laughter. Smith was quick to counter point saying, "You played well, mate" to appease his match winner.
While the Perth pitch was not as threatening as Day 1, it was still a tricky chase. Head began in his usual threatening manner, finding boundaries at regular ease. He reached his half-century in 36 balls, before finding another gear to reach his milestone in 69 balls.
Head had a soft dismissal in the first innings but made up for it with his blazing ton on Saturday. He stroked 12 boundaries and 4 sixes, batting in a T20 mode at the Perth Stadium. England's famed Bazball couldn't cope with Head's ultra-aggressive batting and simply crumbled under pressure.
