Cricket – Ashes – Fifth Test – England v Australia – The Oval, London, Britain – July 31, 2023 Australia’s Travis Head in action Action Images via Reuters
Cricket – Ashes – Fifth Test – England v Australia – The Oval, London, Britain – July 31, 2023 Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne walks after losing his wicket, caught by England’s Zak Crawley off the bowling of Mark Wood Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers
Dec 7 (Reuters) – Home hero Travis Head smashed a blistering 140 to power Australia to a commanding 332-8, a lead of 152, against India on day two of the day-night second test on Saturday.
The left-handed middle-order batter clobbered four sixes and 17 fours bringing up his hundred in 111 balls to boost Australia’s bid for a series-leveling victory at the Adelaide Oval.
Australia captain Pat Cummins fell on the stroke of the tea break while Mitchell Starc was batting on 18.
Earlier, after Australia resumed on 86-1, Jasprit Bumrah (4-59) ensured the tourists did not have to wait long for a breakthrough.
Opener Nathan McSweeney, playing only his second test, added just one run to his overnight score before edging Bumrah behind for 39.
The crafty seamer also dismissed Steve Smith for two, strangling the out-of-form batter down the leg side with wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant taking a diving catch.
Marnus Labuschagne (64) understandably kept his head down and collected runs without courting risks en route to only his second half-century in his last 11 test innings.
Head, coming in at the other end, was more assertive and hit off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin over the mid-off ropes for his second boundary.
That approach appeared to rub off on Labuschagne, who proceeded to smash seamer Harshit Rana for three fours in the space of four balls.
Nitish Kumar Reddy broke their 65-run stand when Labuschagne cut him to gully where Yashasvi Jaiswal took a sharp catch.
Head could not be contained, though, and the left-hander continued to play his shots on his way to a 63-ball fifty.
Mitchell Marsh fell caught behind to Ashwin even though replays showed no bat-ball contact and the batter did not challenge the decision.
Head continued to cut and pull with abandon and also had his share of luck. One of his edges flew between wicketkeeper and first slip and, on another occasion, Mohammed Siraj could not hold on to a tough catch in the deep.
Head took a single off Ashwin to bring up his hundred before gesturing to his wife, daughter and newborn son in the stands.
Siraj finally stopped the batting carnage, bowling him with a yorker, but not before Head had helped build Australia a solid platform for a series-levelling victory.
Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty in New Delhi; editing by Nick Mulvenney and Toby Chopra
