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The Ashes Gabba Test Day 2 Travis Head Repays Teams Faith Silences Critics With 85 Ball Hundred

The Ashes | Gabba Test, Day 2: Travis Head repays team's faith, silences critics with 85-ball hundred

Overcoming off all the concerns about his format at the Test level and shutting down all his critics who did not back for his inclusion in Australia’s Test playing XI, Travis Head hit a rapid Test hundred from only 85 balls to help the hosts get past the 300-run mark and take a significant lead of more than 180 runs in the first innings of the first Ashes Test at Gabba.

He reached the milestone with a thumping on drive off Chris Woakes and repaid the faith shown by the Pat Cummins-led team management for the first Test of the Ashes series.

Head was competing for the number five slot in Australia’s middle order with Usman Khwaja and won the management’s trust based on his good numbers in the past Ashes series.

He was severe against the left-arm spinner Jack Leach and played with aggressive intent from the word go to put England bowling attack under real pressure.

He walked out to bat when England were coming back strongly in the game on the back of a tremendous over from Ollie Robinson where he took two big wickets on consecutive deliveries.

Australia were going seamless on their way towards a possible big total on the back of a big century stand between David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne, but the four big wickets including of Steve Smith and Cameron Green put Australia under some pressure. Head played a counterattacking innings and hit a run ball fifty to lead Australia’s response.

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The Ashes | Gabba Test, Day 2: Robinson takes consecutive wickets of Warner, Green to halt Australia

After the couple of big wickets of Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith in the afternoon session, England got right back in the game with the biggest wicket of the innings of David Warner, who was looking well-placed for a big score in the final session on the second day of the Gabba Test. If Warner’s wicket was not enough for the tourists to lift their spirit, Cameron Green was bowled shouldering arms and Ollie Robinson came on the verge of hat-trick. First, he accounted for Warner with a slower ball and then sent Green back with his error in judgment Alex Carey faced the first ball of his Test career as a hat-trick ball. Warner and Labuschagne seemed to be in control in the afternoon session before the Australian number three got too eager to score on every ball of Jack Leach and threw his wicket away for 74. Steve Smith batted with method so unlike him as he charged Leach and scored some streaky runs before edging to Jos Buttler off the bowling of Mark Wood. Robinson’s success brought England right back in the game as they are at 196/5 in 56 overs and are left with only Travis Head and the debutant wicketkeeper-batsman Carey to extend the lead beyond England’s comfort level.

The Ashes | Mitchell Starc suggests Cummins, Hazlewood have 'blueprint' against Joe Root

England skipper Joe Root had to bat through a tough spell of bowling from Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood as both the pacers challenged him around the off stump line. They have dismissed him on numerous occasions in the same channel and Mitchell Starc has hinted of a “blueprint” that the Aussies are working with against Root. Although Starc took a wicket on the very first ball of the game to give England a major jolt in the form of Rory Burns’ wicket, as soon as Josh Hazlewood dismissed Dawid Malan, Australian skipper Cummins replaced the left armer with himself and bowled in tandem with Hazlewood against the England skipper. Root was found wanting against the back of a length around his off stump as after getting beaten on both inside and outside edge, he edged one that nipped away off the seam to take the edge of his bat. Starc said that both Cummins and Hazlewood are coming fully prepared into this Ashes series bases on their mode of success against Root in the 2019 Ashes series in England. "Josh and Pat have brought that blueprint from the previous Ashes, where they seemed to have their plans down pat to Joe. It's fantastic to get off to the start we did and have him for nothing," Starc said the hoast broadcaster Seven during the rain delay. “Hopefully that continues throughout the series, but those two have carried that blueprint on from four or five Tests in England to now at the Gabba. To stay on top of the opposition captain is a big one and we've certainly started off in that fashion today.” England were bundled out for 147 runs in their first innings as Hazlewood dismissed Root for ninth time, most by any bowler in the longest format of the game.

The Ashes | Gabba Test, Day 2: Australia dominate as Warner-Labuschagne attack Leach in century stand

An unbeaten 103 run partnership between David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne took Australia to a dominant position at lunch on the second day of the first Ashes Test at Gabba. Labuschagne was unbeaten on 53 while Warner was just two runs away from his half century as Australia reached 113/1 and are just 34 runs behind England’s first innings total of 147 runs. Both of them were lucky as well though with Warner becoming a survivor due to Ben Stokes’ overstepping on several occasions and most importantly on the ball he bowled the left-hander. Labuschagne was lucky to escape a close call as a genuine edge off the bowling of Chris Woakes did not carry to Joe Root at first slip. Both Labuschagne and Warner took a liking to Jack Leach and in an ominous sign of hitting the left arm spinner out of attack so that Root is compelled to use his pacers more, both came down heavily on him. Warner was full of intent against him and tried to tee off from the very first ball. However, he had to wait for the second over to start his onslaught and he punished Leach for two sixes to show his intentions. There was no respite for Leach from the other end as well with Labuchagne looking determined to put him under enormous pressure. He hit him for four on the final ball of the second over and followed that over with a 17-run over including a six over long-on to establish Australia’s domination. Things are not looking good for England at the moment and they need a bit of spark from the bowlers on a true Gabba surface which still has something to offer for the bowlers to come back in the game.

The Ashes | Gabba Test, Day 2: Ben Stokes gets away with 13 no-balls as technology outage hurts umpire

The Ashes has moved on to only the second day but there have been enough action on the field to create moments that will go beyond the final scoreline of the series. The first day produced mostly the cricketing moments to savour in the future as Australian pacers attracted all the headlines followed by counterattacks from Jos Buttler and Ollie Pope. However, the second day produced a controversial set of events that will attract a lot of bad press to the umpires. England skipper Joe Root introduced Ben stokes for the first time in the 12th over of the day and Australia’s innings and staying true to what is expected to be his rhythm after such a long layoff, he produced four no-balls on the trot except that the third umpire Paul Wilson failed to spot first three of them. He could spot the fourth and last no-ball of the series only after David Warner was cleared up by Stokes and it was caught in customary no-ball check post the fall of a wicket. Wilson’s failure to spot the no-ball attracted a lot of stern criticism and former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting called it “pathetic officiating”. England were on the moon after the dismissal of David Warner as Ben Stokes celebrated a big wicket of Warner in the first over on his return. However, they find themselves in a precarious position with Australia motoring along to 68/1 with Warner and Marnus Labuschagne looking in no mood to waste the sunshine and pace on the pitch at the Gabba.