Travis Head becomes first-ever centurion of WTC final: Key stats
Australian batter Travis Head has slammed his sixth century in Test cricket. The left-handed batter reached the three-figure mark on Day 1 of the ongoing ICC World Test Championship final against India at The Oval. Notably, Head has become the first-ever centurion in WTC final history. During the innings, he also shared a century stand with Steven Smith. Here are the key stats.
A quickfire century for Head
Head came to the middle after Australia were reduced to 76/3 early in the second session. He paired up with Smith, taking the Aussies past the 150-run mark. The former kept the scoreboard ticking, having reached the 50-run mark in the 44th over with a four. Head duly punished the poor deliveries and brought up his century off 106 balls in the final session.
Head's incredible run in WTC 2021-23
Head has enjoyed a solid run of form in the ongoing ICC World Test Championship cycle. He has raced past 1,300 runs at an average of over 55. The tally includes four tons and six fifties. He is one of the four Aussie batters to have amassed 1,000-plus runs. In 2022, Head scored 655 Test runs at 50.38 (100s: 2, 50s: 3).
First century in WTC final
As stated, Head has become the first-ever batter to score a century in the WTC final. The 2021 final between India and New Zealand turned out to be low-scoring. Devon Conway was the top-scorer in that match, with 54 runs.
Head's first century away from home
Head now has six centuries in Test cricket. The one in the WTC final is his first away from home. One of the most consistent run-scorer of late, Head has smashed his first century against India in Test cricket. His previous-highest score against the Indians was 90, which came in the Ahmedabad Test during the 2023 Border-Gavaskar series.
His contribution in Australia's wins
It is worth noting that Australia won each of their previous five Tests when Head scored a century (against Sri Lanka, New Zealand, England, West Indies, and India). It will be interesting to see if his century hands Australia the Test mace.
