Head’s historic double ton lifts SA

TEST hopeful Travis Head laid a serious early season Ashes marker with an amazing double-century for South Australia as he put his name in the history books and helped his team break a 20-month winning drought.

The Redbacks captain, who turned his axing from the Test team last summer in to a bumper season with his state, has begun his campaign for a baggy green recall in style, becoming the first Australia to score two one-day double-hundreds after making 230 against Queensland.

Winless in all forms of the game last season, Head’s knock was the key in ending the drought for South Australia in a 67-run win after an absolute batting-fest with 703 runs scored between the two teams. Driven to get his team on the winner’s list for the first time since February, 2020, Head started like a train against at Karen Rolton Oval and finished like a steamroller in his epic knock of 230 off just 127 balls. It came after Head also scored 163 in his lone Sheffield Shield innings last month in a limp draw against WA, which made his thirst for a breakthrough Redbacks win insatiable.

He blasted 28 fours and eight sixes in his innings, which bettered the 202 he made in 2015 and now leaves him second behind only West Australian slugger D’Arcy Short’s epic 257, scored in 2018.