Travis Head, who had tested Covid positive and missed the fourth Test, roared back with a splendid ton in the fifth Ashes Test against England in Hobart on Friday (January 14).
He clobbered 101 runs to steady the Australian boat as Kangaroos were once 12/3 with all the highly touted top three, David Warner (0), Usman Khawaja (6) and Steve Smith (0), sent back to pavilion.
Travis' 113-ball innings was decorated with 12 boundaries to rescue his side from a precarious position as Australia are now at 241/6 while the match is currently halted by the rain.
Marnus Labuschagne also bolstered the Australian innings with his gritty 44 off 53 as Stuart Broad (2/48) and Ollie Robinson (2/24) paired up to frustrate Australia.
Earlier, Head slammed a terrific 152-run knock in the first Ashes Test in Brisbane and guided Australia to a nine-wicket victory. He followed that up with scores of 18 and 51 in the second Test at the Adelaide Oval as Australia took a 2-0 lead. In the third Test at the MCG, Head scored 27 in his lone innings.
And now in Hobart, he has struck another century to make his case and with this knock he also got past the 1,500-run mark in Test cricket on Friday. He has mustered 1,502 runs at an average of 44.17.
Head has four centuries and eight half-centuries in his kitty so far with a best score of 161.
Playing his eighth Ashes Test, Head has surpassed 500 runs against England as he has scored 540 runs at an average of 45.00 by belting two tons.
In the ongoing Ashes, Head has scored a total of 349 runs at an average of 69.80. He has scored two tons and a fifty. Notably, he has got these runs after having faced 399 deliveries at a strike rate of 87.46.
With pride at stake, England will be aiming to win the fifth Test as the hosts are already leading the series 3-0.
Australia won the first Test by nine wickets and then followed it up with a 275-run win in the second fixture. In the third match, the Pat Cummins-led side won by an innings and 14 runs and the fourth Test ended in a thrilling draw.
