Moments that Mattered on Day 2: Superb Head, brilliant Starc in two of Ashes’ greatest performances
A moment of Mitchell Starc brilliance on the way to his third 10-wicket haul triggered one of the most incredible days in Ashes history, as Joe Root failed, Usman Khawaja struggled and Travis Head shone.
Travis Head may have busted open Australian cricket’s biggest debate and changed the trajectory of his own Test career with one of the greatest Ashes tons you’ll remember.
A day that started with a piece of individual brilliance by Mitchell Starc ended in similar fashion as Head, elevated to open in place of the injured Usman Khawaja, relentlessly pummelled the English attack.
These are the moments that mattered on day two of the Ashes.
Superb Starc
This was the Test for Mitchell Starc to put his name further in lights and my goodness, hasn’t he what.
Without Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, it’s Starc who is the alpha male in this bowling unit and he’s proved why he holds that status.
His career-first seven-wicket haul on day one was outstanding; his catch to dismiss to Zak Crawley for a first-over pair was unbelievable.
A Starc thunderbolt was deflected straight back down the pitch from Crawley’s bat, and the left-armer somehow dived full-stretch to his left to take the cleanest, freakiest catch by a bowler you’ll see.
His first wicket of the day, and it paved the way to the third 10-wicket haul of his career.
Boland’s triple strike
Lunch was the best thing to happen to Australia after Ollie Pope and Ben Duckett steered England into a commanding position.
And it was cult hero Scott Boland who did the damage, triggering a collapse in which the tourists lost five wickets for just 23 runs.
Boland had Duckett caught by Steve Smith to break the 65-run second-wicket partnership, before forcing nicks from both Pope and Harry Brook (0) in his next over.
Khawaja’s Smith drop
England had lost 4-11 before Jamie Smith came to the crease. It should have been 5-11 just a few balls later.
Mitch Starc enticed Smith to have a crack at a wide delivery, advice the English wicketkeeper duly took on board, only for Usman Khawaja to put it down.
The Kookaburra flew to the 39-year-old, crashing into his palm at the wrist and bouncing through the opener’s legs.
An early life for a dangerous member of the English batting order.
Root fails again
And the wait for one of the greatest batsman of all-time continues.
This is the chance for Joe Root to correct a glaring error in his record, but he lasted just 11 balls in his second dig at Perth before being bowled by Scott Boland.
Twenty-nine innings, nine 50s, zero hundreds.
A combined 18 balls faced in the first Test, Root will need to vastly extend his stay at the crease if he is to score that elusive century on Australian soil.
DRS drama
What’s an Ashes Test without some drama?
There’s been plenty of it so far, but a five-minute DRS decision which went against the tourists has sure added some spice.
The review took an eternity, with some conjecture about the small blip on Snicko and whether or not it aligned with the bat passing the ball.
Ultimately, and much to the chagrin of the Barmy Army - despite Smith seemingly strolling towards the boundary then stopping - it was given out.
Khawaja injury
A forgettable few days for Usman Khawaja, to the point it may have endangered his Test career.
The man who was our rock-solid opening option, the man whose position was all but secure for the summer, could be the next one out.
He didn’t open the batting in the first innings after getting treatment on a back injury for a touch too long - and ultimately undercut Australia’s batting plans.
Then, while attempting to take a catch in England’s second innings, he suffered more back spasms and needed more treatment - to the point our rock-solid opener didn’t open in either innings.
His absence, Jake Weatherald’s debut and Travis Head’s performance turned the matter into a question about his future in the team - and if Khawaja’s time might be up.
Weatherald runs
Jake Weatherald found himself under immense pressure after a first innings horror show in which he lasted just a few balls.
But he made most posts winners in the second dig.
Not every shot came off but he looked far more relaxed and at home at the crease, and he peeled off some superb boundaries to hold up his end.
The dismissal wasn’t ideal - a top edge, into the helmet and in to the waiting hands of Ben Duckett - but the man is off the mark in Test cricket.
Is Head our saviour?
Could Travis Head have solved one of Australian cricket’s biggest crises?
The mystery as to who partners Usman Khawaja may have become who replaces the 39-year-old, and the answer could mean the return of Beau Webster.
Bit of speculation in there, but the way Head took the game to England’s ferocious pace attack through his trademark attacking style surely has opened the question in selectors’ minds.
Head’s been brilliant as our late-order saviour, but he’s proved, at least in this glimpse, that he can get the job done in Tests - as he has in white ball cricket after thrashing one of the all-time great Ashes centuries.
It was the second-fastest by an Australian in an Ashes Test, the fastest by any batter in the fourth innings of a Test, and joint-fastest by an opener (alongside David Warner) - to highlight just a few.
A jaw-dropping knock.
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Originally published as Moments that Mattered on Day 2: Superb Head, brilliant Starc in two of Ashes’ greatest performances
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