Head’s century swings match firmly Australia’s way

Travis Head celebrates a remarkable hundred (Getty Images)

Australia 371 and 271 for 4 (Head 142*, Carey 52*) lead England 286 (Stokes 83, Archer 51, Boland 3–45, Cummins 3–69) by 356 runs

At times during the first half of day three at the Adelaide Oval, England threatened to keep their Ashes hopes alive. However, on his home ground, Travis Head’s second century of the series — his first as an opening batter — carried Australia to a commanding 356-run lead that is likely to be converted into a 3–0 Ashes retention at some point over the weekend.

For Head, who was dropped on 99 by Harry Brook at gully, it was a continuation of a magnificent run in Adelaide. Four of his 11 Test centuries have now come at the venue, all scored in his last six innings there across four consecutive matches. He joined Don Bradman (Headingley and Melbourne), Michael Clarke (Adelaide) and Steven Smith (Melbourne) as the only Australians to score centuries in four consecutive Test matches at the same venue.

This innings may also go a long way towards cementing Head’s place as an opener following his hasty promotion in Perth and the blistering hundred that followed. Overall, it was his fourth Test century against England, and by stumps his career-best 175 — also scored in Adelaide — was beginning to loom into view.

Initially, at least, the wheels did not come off for England as they had threatened to on day two at 168 for 8. However, any hopes of the kind of chase that has characterised the Bazball era faded during a desperate final session in which Australia piled on 152 runs in 35 overs. Head combined with fellow South Australian Alex Carey in an unbroken stand of 122.

That Australia led by only 85 after the first innings was due largely to a resilient 106-run ninth-wicket partnership between Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer, as England showed impressive character during the opening session. For a time, it was far from a foregone conclusion that Australia would dominate.

Forced to take the second new ball to wrap up England’s innings — where Stokes looked capable of producing one of his trademark game-changing knocks before falling to Mitchell Starc for the 12th time in Tests — Australia then lost Jake Weatherald before lunch. He was lbw to Brydon Carse, who delivered his best spell since the opening day in Perth either side of the interval, although Weatherald would have survived had he reviewed, with the ball pitching outside leg stump.

After Josh Tongue removed an out-of-sorts Marnus Labuschagne, England were unable to apply sustained pressure on Head and Usman Khawaja, who added 86 in 113 balls. Although Khawaja and Cameron Green fell in quick succession, any sense of vulnerability quickly evaporated as Head and Carey took control. Carey capped another outstanding match with a half-century to follow his first-innings hundred.

Head collected runs freely square of the wicket throughout his innings as England fed him width outside off stump, while also resorting to the short-ball tactic with well-spread fields. He scored little straight down the ground off the quicks but attacked the spinners aggressively, launching Will Jacks over long-off and then repeating the stroke off Joe Root to bring up his century from 146 balls after stalling briefly in the 90s.

Jacks, a part-time spinner retained ahead of Shoaib Bashir following a promising batting display in Brisbane, had earlier removed Khawaja with a short, wide delivery that induced a cut shot to the edge. By stumps, however, his match figures made grim reading: 3 for 212 from 39 overs. Stokes, meanwhile, did not bowl himself at all, while Archer delivered 10 economical but largely unthreatening overs.

Australia’s batting was not without blemish. Labuschagne laboured through 45 balls before being squared up by Tongue and edging low to slip, recalling the struggles that led to his omission earlier in the year. Perhaps more significant in the short term was the dismissal of Green, who edged a half-volley from Tongue to slip to cap a disappointing match with the bat.

After clipping tamely to midwicket in the first innings, Green avoided a pair with a well-timed drive first ball against Jacks but did little to allay concerns about his vulnerability early in his innings. He was beaten on the drive by Tongue before edging the next delivery. His Test average in Australia now stands at 28.62 from 18 matches. With Khawaja among the runs, hopes that Smith will be fit for Melbourne, and Beau Webster part of the squad, the selectors could face another difficult call for Boxing Day.

England resumed day three on 213 for 8, so far adrift that a comeback seemed implausible. Yet Stokes and Archer extended their partnership to such an extent that thoughts began to turn to what might be possible. Having battled through to stumps on day two, Stokes showed greater intent when play resumed, driving Scott Boland through the covers in the opening over.

He reached his fifty from 159 balls — the slowest of his career, surpassing that effort at Headingley in 2019 — before advancing down the pitch to Boland and unfurling a reverse sweep against Nathan Lyon. He greeted Pat Cummins’ first delivery of the day with a crunching pull shot as the deficit dipped below 100.

Archer, whom Stokes felt no need to shield from the strike, launched Lyon over deep midwicket for six on his way to a maiden Test half-century from 96 balls. Their stand became the highest ninth-wicket partnership in an Ashes Test in Australia since 1925.

Australia were not panicked, but a growing urgency to finish the innings was evident. Starc, wicketless until then, provided the breakthrough when a wobble-seam delivery jagged back past Stokes’ inside edge and uprooted off stump — an almost carbon copy of his dismissal in the first innings in Perth. As his stumps were shattered, Stokes roared in anguish, threw his head back and flung his bat skywards. He had kept England afloat, but by stumps they were sinking once more. (ESPNcricinfo)