On Friday at the Harare Sports Club, facing the seventh ball of his innings, Travis Head played a wayward shot, then humorously raised his hands above his head before returning to the crease. He also unleashed a vigorous ‘fist pump’ after noticing the reaction of his teammates on the sidelines.
Anyone who saw Head batting recently knew exactly what was going on. The left-handed batsman tried to play a powerful shot on the off-side off Blessing Muzarabani’s bowling, but the ball clipped the inside edge of his bat and hit his thigh pad. In the preceding four international innings, 22, 17, and 22 in the Test matches against Bangladesh, and then 4 runs in the opening One Day International (ODI) against Zimbabwe, the ball had similarly nicked the edge and crashed into his stumps.
Head put on a Magnificent Display in Harare
Head put on a magnificent display in Harare, smashing a century off 75 balls (eventually finishing with 112 off 84 balls) in the second ODI against Zimbabwe, thereby securing an unassailable 2-0 series lead for Australia.
Here are the match highlights and the context of Australia’s white-ball tour:
Record-breaking score: Powered by Head’s brilliant batting, 78 runs in the opening powerplay, a half-century (53) from stand-in captain Mitchell Marsh, excellent form from Cooper Connolly (78 off 69 balls), and a blistering knock by 20-year-old Ollie Peake (unbeaten 41 off 18 balls), Australia posted a total of 356-6-their highest-ever ODI score against Zimbabwe.
A starkly different start: Head’s explosive innings was in complete contrast to the first match of the series, where he was dismissed for just 4 runs; in that match, the ball had deflected off his bat onto the stumps.
Match result: Zimbabwe attempted a comeback led by Sikandar Raza (45) and Brendan Taylor (39), but a flurry of wickets, including Adam Zampa’s 200th ODI wicket and multiple scalps for Connolly and Matt Renshaw, saw the hosts bowled out for 272, handing Australia an 84-run victory.
What’s next: Following the conclusion of the Zimbabwe series, Australia will tour neighbouring South Africa. This will be a tour featuring both white-ball and red-ball formats, comprising three ODIs (starting September 24) and three Test matches.
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