The masterstroke that changed the Ashes series

England might have been fated to lose this Ashes series all along. Their performances over the last month have provided little evidence to suggest otherwise.

But instead of focusing on English preparation choices or selection discussions, did a chat in the Australian dressing room during tea on the second day of the opening Test set the tone for the entire series?

When Usman Khawaja was sidelined by back spasms, Australia found themselves in need of an opener, and Travis Head was quick to raise his hand.

«It can’t be that difficult, let’s take the fight to them,» he remarked.

Moving up from the middle order, he went on to strike one of the legendary Ashes centuries, igniting England’s demise with a series of Travis Head’s blows.

By scoring his second century of the series on day three of the third Test in Adelaide, Head nearly guaranteed the urn will remain at home for the next two and a half years.

He has undoubtedly settled any questions regarding his batting spot for the remainder of this series and into the future.

The answer to Australia’s dilemma of finding a replacement for David Warner was right in front of them, complete with a mullet and rugged Australian moustache.

Head’s difficulties prior to this series—only one score of 40 or higher in 20 innings since June—are now a thing of the past.

A four-day training stint before the series— which the typically easygoing 31-year-old labeled «unprecedented» for him—helped restore his rhythm and surely dispelled any lingering doubts.

«When there’s a long break in Test cricket and you’re lying in bed a few nights prior, you wonder, can I still do it?» he shared.

«Can you still produce those performances? Can you continue to deliver excellent scores in critical situations year after year? This is about as high-stakes as it gets.»

That last observation is the most significant concerning Head.

The quintessential big game player, he has accumulated four Ashes centuries alongside another in the 2023 World Cup final and earlier that year in the World Test Championship final.

When Australia fought hard to reclaim the Border-Gavaskar Trophy from India last year, Head scored 89, 140, and 159 across the first three Tests.

Former India coach Ravi Shastri once dubbed the South Australian ‘Head-ache,’ and England’s players must surely be at a point where they wish to pull the curtains, lie down, and close their eyes in a cool room.

They observed the emergence of Head’s reinvention as an exceptionally aggressive batter in 2021, when he smashed a 148-ball 152 in the opening Test of the last Ashes series in Australia.

Since then, Head has scored at a rate of 80.20 runs per 100 balls, compared to just 49.65 earlier in his career—a stylistic transformation that is nearly unparalleled in Test cricket history.

An unintended result of Head’s elevation in this series has been England needing to adjust their strategies against the left-hander.

In 2023, they had a clear plan, with 52% of the deliveries bowled to Head by fast bowlers pitched 10m or less in a bid to exploit Head’s weakness against deliveries buzzing around his helmet.

This time, with the new ball in their possession, England has been compelled to adjust and pitch the ball up, inadvertently reinforcing his strength against cuts, a problem compounded by their inability to maintain a consistent line.

For much of the afternoon, they resorted to attempting to tire Head out with a field spread wide apart—a tactic that must have distressed Ben Stokes greatly.

«I used to coach against Travis Head in Western Australia, and you never bowl at his cut shot,» remarked Head’s former Australian coach Justin Langer on TNT Sports.

«His wagon wheel shows he scores heavily behind point. It’s either England couldn’t execute their game plan or the strategies were flawed.»

The innings on Friday in Adelaide exemplified this issue in miniature.

When England prevented Head from accessing width, he remained subdued. When they strayed off their line outside off stump, he capitalized. One of his scant false strokes occurred when Brydon Carse sent a bouncer toward his face, causing Head to skew it just over fine leg.

Such well-placed deliveries were regrettably too few.

Consequently, Head casually reached his century on day three—often striding between the wickets to comfortably secure singles in a showcase of his composure—as the home crowd swelled with excitement.

He has risen to cult hero status in Australia, but in his hometown, where some honored him by bowing upon his reaching three figures and others donned TravBall t-shirts, their affection for him is unparalleled.

Upon reaching his century, Head acknowledged the crowd and then knelt to kiss the batting surface that has been so rewarding to him.

Only the legendary Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke have more centuries at the Adelaide Oval than Head’s four, and he now boasts an average of 87.33 on this ground, placing him fourth on the all-time list for those with five or more matches— topped by the unrivaled Sir Don Bradman.

A statue of Bradman already stands by Adelaide’s eastern gates, and the local government has proposed erecting one of Head alongside it.

«I relish being out there, feeling the crowd and their expectations,» he expressed.

«I simply enjoy playing the game and have a great time doing it.»

Whether Australians recall this series as the summer of Mitchell Starc, Travis Head, or another figure will be determined by the remaining events in Adelaide, as well as what unfolds in Melbourne and Sydney.

Starc’s 19 wickets already present a strong argument, but remember, England believed their bowlers stood a good chance of winning before Head’s century in Perth—a victory that would have altered the trajectory of this series.

Head rendered that perspective foolish, and with his second century, has landed a decisive blow.

Australia might have secured victory regardless, but Head’s elevation to the top was the pivotal move from which England has struggled to counter.