Swashbuckling opener Travis Head eclipsed talismanic Steve Smith to develop into the quickest to hammer 3,000 ODI runs on Saturday, following his scorching exploits within the third ODI on the Sydney Cricket Floor. (SCG).
After two silent outings in Perth and Adelaide, Head exploded in Sydney on a tough Sydney strip with a couple of cracks. On the SCG, traditionally a high-scoring venue, Head unleashed a barrage of belligerent strokes from his loaded arsenal. In his 76th innings, Head accomplished the 3000-run mark in ODIs by pushing the ball in the direction of mid-off for a fast single.
The 31-year-old took three fewer innings than Smith’s 79 to develop into the quickest Australian to succeed in the milestone. ‘Picasso in Pyjamas’ Michael Bevan and former skipper George Bailey have slipped to the third spot, having achieved the feat in 80 innings every. By way of the variety of balls confronted, Head took 2,839 deliveries, the fourth fewest behind Glenn Maxwell (2440), Jos Buttler (2533) and Jason Roy (2820).
Head drew the primary blood by flicking Mohammed Siraj’s curling ball to search out the primary boundary of the day within the third over. He continued to torment Siraj in his subsequent over, selecting up two boundaries with precision after which pulled Prasidh Krishna for a 4 to flaunt his wealthy type.
Within the last over of the powerplay, Head went after Siraj and carved the ball over the covers for a 4. Nevertheless, it was the Indian mainstay who had the final giggle after Head failed to manage his late reduce on the following ball and dispatched it straight into the fingers of Prasidh Krishna, stationed at backward level. This was the ninth occasion of Siraj dismissing Head in 19 innings throughout all codecs.
Head’s promising knock got here to a bitter finish on 29(25), his highest within the three-match sequence. In 79 matches, Head now boasts 3,007 runs averaging 43.57, whereas putting at 105.73.