Full-steam Head stunned by his blazing ton

If ever there was to be a scenario in which an Ashes century would be thrashed in the course of a single session, a still-tricky day two Gabba pitch was unlikely to provide the canvas and Travis Head was at even skinnier odds to be the artist.

For a start, the feat that had been performed more than 80 times across more than 135 years of Test cricket had never been achieved at Brisbane.

When it happened in the heat of Ashes battle, it was usually under extenuating circumstances.

Ben Stokes most recently did it on that famously frantic last day at Headingley in 2019 when he had no choice but to hit out because he was batting with England's number 11, and the home team's hopes seemed similarly minimal when Ian Botham completed his at the same venue 38 years earlier.

Then there was those two moments from the WACA in Perth that remain steeped in folklore, as Adam Gilchrist (2006) and Doug Walters (1974) put an already wilting England attack to the sword as Australia surged to crushing wins.

But even allowing for an extended two-and-a-half-hour final session today – in which just 30 overs were bowled – Head's unbeaten 112 from 95 balls arrived as unexpectedly and as soul-warming as an afternoon of cloudless Brisbane sunshine.

If anyone had reason to carry caution into an innings, which was starting to perceptibly wobble after a solid start, it was surely the 27-year-old South Australian.

Dumped mid-series in each of the two previous Test years, and stripped of his central contract at the end of last summer despite being appointed Test vice-captain barely a year earlier, Head's was the last name confirmed on Australia's team sheet after vying for his place with Usman Khawaja.

He then spent a bulk of today's first two sessions padded up and awaiting his turn at bat as two of the most fluent strokemakers in the Test game – David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne – weathered shrewd English bowling plans and a pitch Head himself noted had "a bit going on".

And when he went to the middle an over before the tea break, it was to replace Steve Smith who had been dismissed for his first sub-20 Ashes score in 12 innings and shortly after Labuschagne squandered his shot at a deserved century by being overly aggressive against spinner Jack Leach.

Furthermore, eight balls into the final session – by which stage Head had scored but a single – Warner fell to what he indicated was a delivery that 'held-up' on the Gabba surface, and then he saw Cameron Green knocked over first ball without offering (or firing) a shot.

It meant Australia were suddenly listing at 5-195 (just 48 runs ahead), only Test debutant Alex Carey remained of the team's recognised batters and England seamer Ollie Robinson – who knew both left-handers inside-out having played with them at Sussex in recent years – was steaming in and on a hat-trick.

So where the hell did a blazing, boundary-laced hundred off 85 balls emerge from?

As Head revealed shortly after stumps, he's got no idea.

"I'm still pinching myself," he said.

"I can't quite work out what transpired over the last couple of hours.

"I think I said to Starcy (not out batting partner Mitchell Starc) I couldn't quite believe what was going on - it definitely fell my way at moments, and I rode my luck.

"But it was just about staying nice and calm.

"It was nice having Alex (Carey, South Australia teammate) at the other end, I've batted a lot with him.

"They (England's bowlers) started extremely well against us, those couple of sets that Ollie Robinson bowled were quite difficult.

"He's seen me play so he definitely came with a plan.

"He knew how he wanted to attack me, and executed it extremely well in my first 20 balls ... and vice-versa, I knew where Ollie was going to come and didn't expect anything less in the way he bowled."

While Head's game-changing hundred was technically chanceless, his preparedness to "ride my luck" meant it contained a few heart-in-mouth moments, as well as a couple of pit-of-stomach blows to his person.

The first was a brute of a ball from England's fastest bowler, Mark Wood, which lifted and cracked Head near the elbow of his bottom (left) arm leaving an immediate welt and fears he had suffered a similar fracture to that which ended India tailender Mohammed Shami's Test summer in Australia last year.

The second was even more hellish, a hand-to-head ball (both literally and nominatively) that slipped from Wood's grasp in the early evening humidity and slammed into the batter's chin, although Head was seeing them sufficiently well at that stage to react quickly which meant his batting glove took most of the blow.

"I saw it pretty much the whole way," Head said of the incident which, if repeated, will see Wood unable to bowl again in the innings.

"I was more surprised than anything and after a couple of seconds I knew I was fine, and Woody was good about it.

"He obviously didn't mean to do it.

"(The arm's) not comfortable, but structurally it's fine so we move on."

Head paid tribute to his top-order teammates Warner and Labuschagne who had artfully negotiated the trickiest batting period against the new ball earlier today, and then changed momentum by launching the day's first full-scale assault against Leach in a partnership of 156.

But in addition to lauding the bravery of his batting comrades, and noting Labuschagne had effectively sacrificed his wicket in attempting to maintain pressure on Leach and thereby "set the tone for the rest of the series", Head also hinted where the genesis of his remarkable knock might lie.

Having been re-drafted into a team that has suffered its share of upheaval since he was last a member for the 2020 Boxing Day Test against India, he spoke glowingly of the environment into which he's returned.

And the confidence that has instilled in him to simply play 'his way', a method that has previously cost him his place and earned him some voluble doubters.

"That's what I'm here to do," he said of his third, and most memorable Test ton.

"I've been really relaxed throughout the game, Patty (Cummins, new Test captain) and the coaching staff have been fantastic working over the last six or seven days and how they wanted to see me play and go about it.

"They just wanted me to be myself and play the game how I see it, and have great confidence in that.

"It's so enjoyable to be around this group again and contribute in some little way.

"I feel like my technique's in a really great space, and technically and mentally I feel really composed and relaxed in the environment."

And when asked about the raw emotion he let loose upon reaching his hundred – appropriately with a boundary off Chris Woakes – his response was as instinctive and exuberant as his batting.

"It was off the cuff," Head said.

"Just the emotion of being in a great position, playing for my country and loving it.

"Just really enjoying it."

Vodafone Men's Ashes

Squads

Australia: Pat Cummins (c), Steve Smith (vc), Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Marcus Harris, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, Jhye Richardson, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, David Warner

England: Joe Root (c), James Anderson, Jonathan Bairstow, Dom Bess, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Haseeb Hameed, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Dawid Malan, Craig Overton, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood

Schedule

First Test: December 8-12, The Gabba

Second Test: December 16-20, Adelaide Oval

Third Test: December 26-30, MCG

Fourth Test: January 5-9, SCG

Fifth Test: January 14-18, TBC