South Australian captain Travis Head has plundered a much-needed century against Western Australia in his Sheffield Shield return on Thursday afternoon.
The left-hander raced to triple figures at the WACA, reaching the milestone in just 107 deliveries in a knock that featured 14 boundaries.
Head smacked 99 runs in the afternoon session, feasting off the inexperienced West Australian attack, who were without international stars Jason Behrendorff and Jhye Richardson.
Anything overpitched was slapped through the covers, while short deliveries were cracked through point with ease.
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It was a trademark Travis Head knock — elegant and wildly entertaining.
Sitting in the stands witnessing the batting masterclass was Australian coach Justin Langer, who would have breathed a sigh of relief when Head brought up his 15th first-class century.
After a couple of disappointing performances with the bat, Head was dropped from the Test side ahead of the New Year’s Test, with Matthew Wade occupying the No. 5 spot in his absence.
But Wade struggled to prove his worth in Sydney and Brisbane — he failed to score a half-century in 14 consecutive Test innings on home soil.
In a stunning backflip, Australian selectors axed Wade from the Test squad ahead of the postponed South Africa tour, with Head retaining his place.
However, there was lingering speculation about who would slide into the No. 5 spot of Australia’s starting XI, with Moises Henriques and Usman Khawaja on the verge of a recall.
But Head’s timely century in Perth catapults the left-hander back into contention, and the formation of Australia’s Test team looks a bit clearer ahead of the 2021/22 Ashes series.
AAP journalist Scott Bailey tweeted: “Travis Head making a serious statement at the WACA in his first red-ball innings since being dropped from the Test side. He’s 115no in his third Sheffield Shield century of the summer, and going at almost a run a ball.”
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South Australian opening batsman Henry Hunt also scored a century on Thursday, reaching the milestone only minutes before his skipper.
The pair combined for a 186-run partnership before all-rounder Cameron Green snared the long-awaited breakthrough in the evening session.
Head is currently the highest run-scorer in the Sheffield Shield this season, with 569 runs coming at 81.28 in five matches.
The Redbacks captain and Shaun Marsh are the only players with three centuries in the 2020/21 competition to date.
South Australia was 3/252 in the 62nd over on day one, with Head not out on 115 when wicketkeeper Alex Carey joined him in the middle.
MOST RUNS IN 2020/21 SHEFFIELD SHIELD
569 — Travis Head (SA)
495 — Will Pucovski (VIC)
485 — Shaun Marsh (WA)
432 — Henry Hunt (SA)
425 — Marnus Labuschagne (QLD)
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