Head’s big knock drives Redbacks win
South Australian cricketer Travis Head is firmly back in the sights of national selectors after smashing 230 from just 127 balls in an extraordinary innings featuring 28 fours and eight sixes against Queensland yesterday.
Redbacks captain Travis Head smashed 230 against Queensland. Picture: Matt Turner/AAP
The lefthander’s heroics inspired the Redbacks to their first win in any format since February last year.
The Redbacks posted 8-389 from 48 overs before the Bulls were bowled out for 312 in 40.3 overs in a rain-affected match.
Head raced to his 100 from just 65 balls, the fastest-ever ton for SA in the one-day competition.
Opener Jake Weatherald made 97 from 103 balls but his innings was a sideshow to the main event as Head pulverised Queensland’s bowlers.
In reply, Queensland opener Sam Heazlett blasted 93 from 59 balls, hitting 11 fours and three sixes, but Usman Khawaja (12) and Marnus Labuschagne (six) failed.
Head logged the second-highest individual score in domestic one-dayers, behind only Darcy Short’s 257 for WA against Queensland in 2018.
The SA skipper surpassed Tasmanian Ben Dunk’s 229 against the Bulls in 2015 in reaching his second domestic one-day double-ton – he made 202 against WA in 2015.
Short and Dunk are the only other batsmen to have made domestic one-day double-centuries.
Head reached his double-ton from just 114 balls, the fastest to the milestone in domestic cup history.
The 27-year-old fell out of favour with Australian test selectors before the coronavirus pandemic but the knock, coupled with centuries in the Sheffield Shield competition this season, will no doubt grab their attention ahead of December’s Ashes series.
