Ashes 2021/22: Travis Head continues to come of age as Marnus Labuschagne leads from the front

Travis Head is growing as a player and person this Ashes series. And the batter could have been leading the Aussies now. Here’s why.

Alex Carey is not one for big statements but last month in Brisbane he let a bit of water out of the dam.

When talking about his South Australian team-mate Travis Head after his breakthrough 152 at the Gabba, he declared the best was yet to come.

“There is a little bit of chatter about the way Travis plays, but when he gets away he is unstoppable,’’ Carey said.

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Cameron Green congratulates Travis Head on his second century of the Ashes series.

“So you ride the waves. You ride the lows. I have seen that in Shield cricket for a number of years. He might make an amazing 30. He might make 150. He is a match-winner.

“If we see innings like that over the next 12 to 18 months he is going to be one of the best players in the world.’’

It’s a big statement, saying he could be one of the best players in the world, but now we can see what Carey was on about after Head’s sublime against-the-flow century against England, Australia’s innings of the summer..

Head is in the process of redefining himself. His once milky talent is solidifying.

He seems to be growing as a person and even his media interviews have more of an edge to them than they had a couple of years ago.

Had he found this form last summer, he could have been Test captain by now. The door was open for a while and no-one was knocking.

The Test runs are really flowing for Travis Head at the moment.

Head’s century was impressive from all angles. Not only was Australia 3-12 when he came to the wicket but the green deck and cool afternoon was the sort of conditions England relish.

Head and Marnus Labuschagne launched a two-man crash tackle on England, which shocked them and disorientated their initially precise line and length.

Labuschagne made a hay-making 44 and, for a while, it was like we were watching one of those wild western movies where the masked gunman appeared from nowhere to shoot up the town as bullets flew everywhere.

When he fell at the crease in one of cricket’s most bizarre dismissals, it was as if the sheriff had somehow taken him down from behind.

The sort of conditions on display in the first hour were tough by Test standards but not as demanding as Labuschagne occasionally plays on in his garage where batsmen are systematically tortured.

He’s been known to go to Bunnings to buy artificial turf or other strips which are watered to ensure batting is a nightmare.

Marnus Labuschagne falls over and loses all his dstumps in Hobart.

That is the way he wants it, once saying “if a team makes 20 in garage cricket then the wicket is too flat ... it has to be a desperate struggle.’’

That “c’mon, let’s slug it out,’’ garage cricket mindset was Labuschagne’s greatest ally as he launched a lively and unexpected counter attack.

Get them before they get you. The clock is ticking.

That’s why he flicked balls from outside off stump to leg and even came down the wicket to the seamers. Eventually, as Fox Cricket’s Mike Hussey pointed out, batsmen know there is a ball coming with their name on it.

Balls flew everywhere and it temporarily muddled England’s mindset because every part of their instincts would have told the English attack that, with three early wickets, they were the kings of the session and must be treated accordingly.

Finally Labuschagne fell, bowled to Stuart Broad after falling flat on his face over-balancing.

As strange as it was it was also fitting that he should fall on his sword in such a dramatic way.

Marnus Labuschagne lost everything, including his dignity, when knocked over.

The cricket world laughed at the dismissal – you couldn’t not – but Labuschagne’s cameo again underlined his ability to read the conditions and be the batsman the day required even if he fell short of a major contribution.

Even before lunch on the first day, it was apparent that this is another good Test deck and it has reinforced the theme that the season’s underrated stars have been the five Test match curators.

With so much T20 cricket on display these days, audiences are used to batsmen controlling games in Australia, but the five Test decks have all helped the bowlers and produced gripping entertainment.

This should be a very short but very sweet game. Action aplenty. You know a Test deck is doing its job when you dare not leave your seat for fear of missing a wicket.