Upon witnessing Corey Anderson mark his run up following the 13th over, Travis Head said, “I’m gonna scoop Corey!” to Glenn Maxwell during a mid-pitch exchange. “No you’re not!” exclaimed Maxwell, who was shocked because he couldn’t remember the last time he had seen Head attempt that particular improvisational technique, of which he was a master. Head, who was hitting at the height of his abilities, slid down to the off-side wide marker, fully expecting the wide yorker to ramp it over the short fine leg.
Travis Head finds himself in a multi-format purple patch reminiscent of Bradman that may not have been inhabited in the contemporary world as we know it.
It can be natural to dare the devil at your own convenience when everything is in full bloom. Despite this, Head decided to apply a strategy to his apparent insanity. He bided his time till the ideal opportunity to seize. Anderson moved his third man back, frustrated by a pair of boundaries that flew past his short third man. Having the extra cushion of the boundary rider from the backward position, Anderson was always trying to hit a wide yorker outside the off stump. Head was quickly out of his crease to play a shot that he desperately wanted to play—not voluntarily, but precisely on the dot.
The idea that this purple patch of his practically operates on autopilot is bizarre. Head has only batted twice in the nets for a total of roughly 45 minutes during the competition. In fact, at the x golf course that he plays frequently in Dallas, he would have hit more golf balls than cricket balls. Head, however, continued his prolific run in the MLC, scoring his fifth half century of the season en way to a brilliant 77* off 44 deliveries that saw the Washington Freedom canter to the championship in fine style.
“There’s a lot of things I could talk to Travis about with his batting, but I’m not going to because everything’s good,” I said in one of our recent postgame conversations. I don’t need to get inside his thoughts because everything is going so smoothly. I want no part of becoming this tiny voice perched on his shoulder. Recognising the delicate nature of handling such a remarkable talent, Ponting told Cricbuzz, “I want him to play freely and keep doing what he’s doing.”
While Ponting may have given him the freedom to handle his strategy and game preparation, it was obvious that he may have spoken with Head about his fragility as a batter after hitting for a half-century in the previous four games but failing to score more than fifty-five. Sure, Head is past his prime and doesn’t need anyone to pry into his ear, but Ponting is arguably the ideal person to pique Head’s interest in running even more. Head’s gesture towards the dugout after crunching a furious square cut off Juanroy Drysdale, which sent him into the 60s, was telling.
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It’s good to have the winning goal in the match, and I’m looking forward to some time off. It is my responsibility to start us off quickly and well. Since there weren’t many wickets falling today, I tried to slow down a bit. I’ve been given the task of attacking the opposition, and it’s working. Excellent wicket that swung a little bit today. felt that the high-risk shots had a few vulnerable moments, but that can happen. I can now do my thing because Ricky has left me alone. It’s nice that I could return his faith,” Head remarked following his outstanding performance.
India
