Nottingham: Travis Head continued his exceptional form in cricket across formats, scoring a match-winning unbeaten 154 runs from just 129 balls, aiding Australia in chasing down a target of 315 runs to defeat England in the first ENG vs AUS ODI at Trent Bridge in Nottingham, England.
With this century, Head shattered multiple records, including one held by Indian captain Rohit Sharma, whom Head had previously dubbed ‘the unluckiest man in the world’ following the 2023 ODI World Cup final.
Head’s score of 154*, featuring 20 boundaries and five sixes, is also his highest in ODIs. He surpassed Sharma’s record for the highest individual score in a successful run chase at Trent Bridge, a record Sharma set in 2018 with an unbeaten 137 off 114 balls, leading India to victory over England in Nottingham.
Remarkably, this isn’t the first time Head has eclipsed the Indian captain’s record in ODIs. During the 2023 ODI World Cup, in his debut match, Head scored a century in just 59 balls against New Zealand, breaking Sharma’s record for the fastest ODI World Cup century by an opener, which Sharma achieved in 63 balls against Afghanistan in the same tournament.
Head also notched another century in the 2023 World Cup, this time in the final against Rohit Sharma’s India, propelling Australia to their sixth World Cup title.
Adding a humorous twist to the tale, after breaking Sharma’s fastest WC century record and following the World Cup victory, Head referred to the Indian captain as the ‘unluckiest’ for not securing the Cup despite his excellent form. Now, Head has broken yet another of Sharma’s records.
“He’s (Rohit Sharma) probably the unluckiest man in the world,” Head remarked in the post-match ceremony about the Indian captain.
In the ENG vs AUS match, after electing to bowl, Australia witnessed England’s strong start, aiming for over 350 runs. However, Australia’s bowlers, including Marnus Labuschagne and Travis Head, mounted a comeback, restricting England to 315 runs in 49.4 overs.
Chasing 316, Australia’s early loss of captain Mitchell Marsh was mitigated by Travis Head and Steve Smith, who stabilized the innings. Despite losing Smith and Cameron Green, who fell for 32, Travis Head, alongside Labuschagne, ensured no further losses, leading Australia to a comfortable victory.
Following his century at Trent Bridge, Head surpassed Shane Watson’s 11-year record to become the highest-scoring Australian in an ODI on English soil.
