Opening shut case: Head's third ton seals new role

Travis Head has put an exclamation mark on his brilliant Ashes series with his third century of the summer.

With a square drive for four, Head rubber-stamped his ascension to Test opener as not just a success but a masterstroke.

Only three others have managed three hundreds in an Ashes series this century; Alastair Cook in 2010-11, along with Matthew Hayden and Michael Vaughan, both in 2002-03.

Head's three tons have all looked different, highlighting his versatility in a variety of situations.

The first at Perth Stadium was a whirlwind knock and Head reached three figures after only 69 deliveries.

With the Aussies keen to get the game finished on the second evening, Head punished loose England bowling to power to a record-breaking mark. It was the fastest-ever hundred in a fourth innings and the joint-fastest by an opening batter in all Tests.

His second in Adelaide was, by comparison, more reserved.

With centuries in his three preceding Tests at the venue, Head missed out with 10 in the first innings. Sensing a chance to make a special piece of history, Head applied himself in the second innings and reached triple figures in 146 balls. He sealed the celebration with a kiss of the pitch, admitting afterwards that he "took the piss a bit".

At the SCG, his innings featured the best of both worlds.

Combining spectacular, unorthodox batting with genuine power and precision, Head hurtled towards his ton at close to a run-a-ball.

Restarting day three on 91, he needed 18 deliveries to bring up his hundred.

It was an innings of rhythm for a batter hitting all the right notes. His longest stretch without a boundary was 12 balls. He'd got there off 105 balls with almost as many fours (17) as singles (20).

The pink-clad crowd erupted when the ball pierced the in-field, cheering again when the ball hit the rope, and was delighted further when he placed his helmet on top of his bat handle and hoisted it into the air.

Head's series tally of 541 runs (and counting) is nearly 150 ahead of the next best, England's Joe Root (394).

Root credited Head's ability to shift the momentum of the game with his unusual and unique technique.

"The way that he can score off the top of the stumps (and) both sides of the wicket, makes your margins very small," Root said after day two in Sydney.

"He's got such an incredible hand-eye coordination. He's very good at putting bowlers under pressure at the right time and making it very difficult to build a sustained period of pressure over the partnership.

"He's always looking to throw punches back in his own way. And he's got a very clear method of how he wants to do it and trusts it. He's had a brilliant series to date.

Teammate Michael Neser, who was at the non-striker's end for Head's SCG celebration, has had the misfortune of bowling to Head in domestic cricket for over a decade.

Neser believes the uncertainty over approach and technique that plagued Head early in his career is gone and the South Australian is flourishing with a simplified gameplan.

"He seems really clear (with) what he's doing. Every ball he's looking to score," Neser said.

"He's not trying to work it around or grind it out. He's looking to score every opportunity he gets and most times he creates so many more opportunities than normal.

"He's so talented. His hand-eye (co-ordination) is amazing.

"You think you've beaten him with the ball, and all sudden, he's slapped it through point for four. I know from personal experience how frustrating it is bowling to him, because we seemed to struggle to control the scoreboard when he's in those moods."

2025-26 NRMA Insurance Men's Ashes

First Test: Australia won by eight wickets

Second Test: Australia won by eight wickets

Third Test: Australia won by 82 runs

Fourth Test: England won by four wickets

Fifth Test: January 4-8: SCG, Sydney, 10am AEDT

Australia squad (fifth Test): Steve Smith (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Brendan Doggett, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Todd Murphy, Michael Neser, Jhye Richardson, Mitchell Starc, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster

England squad: Ben Stokes (c), Harry Brook (vc), Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Matthew Fisher, Will Jacks, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith (wk), Josh Tongue