Star Australian batter, Travis Head unleashed his batting prowess to help the visitors take a 1-0 lead in the three-match T20I series. Coming into the series after whitewashing Scotland 3-0 in the T20I series, the Mitchell Marsh-led side registered a dominating 28-run win in the opening match at The Rose Bowl in Southampton.
After being put to bat first, the Aussies posted 179 runs on the board, courtesy a yet another top-class knock from opening batter, Travis Head. During his 23-ball stay in the middle, Head scored 59 runs, which included eight boundaries and four maximums at a strike rate 256.52.
Travis Head scores 30 runs off Sam Curran’s over
Speaking of Head’s inning in the opening T20I, it took him seven balls to settle and hit his first boundary, which came against Jofra Archer. From being three off six balls, Head raced to 15 off 10 balls after hitting Archer for three fours in only the third over. However, it seemed that he reserved his best for Sam Curran.
Curran, who came to bowl the fifth over of the Australia inning, was welcomed with a boundary over left of mid-on. On the second delivery, Head continued his form as he made a room to cut the ball through the extra cover for a boundary. After two back-to-back boundaries, Head smoked Sam Curran’s delivery for a maximum over deep backward square leg.
The Aussie opener did not look to stop here as he then continued, hitting Curran for two more sixes in the following deliveries over deep mid-wicket and deep point. Already getting hit for 26 runs, Head hoisted the ball over extra cover for a boundary to finish the over with 30 runs.
Head then completed his fifty in the next over, getting 50 off 19 balls before falling off Saqib Mahmood with Jordan Cox pulling off a catch on the final ball of the sixth over. Speaking of the match, England struggled to get going with none of their batter reaching the 50-run mark. The Phil Salt-led side were depleted for 151 in 19.2 overs with Sean Abbott picking three wickets, while Josh Hazlewood, Adam Zampa got two each and Xavier Bartlett, Cameron Green and Marcus Stoinis also finishing among wickets.
The two sides will next take on each other in the second T20I, which is scheduled to be played on Friday, September 13 at the Sophia Garden in Cardiff. While the visitors will aim to clinch the series with a win, the hosts will eye to level the series, taking the game into the decider.