Head keeps the runs rolling on familiar ground

For the third time in England this northern summer, Travis Head posted three figures to remain in top form ahead of the second Ashes Test at Lord's next week.

Head scored an unbeaten 109 on day one of Australia's three-day tour match against his former county Worcestershire, with whom he played nine games in 2018.

The left-hander batted for three-and-a-half hours at New Road on Wednesday, striking 13 fours and a six to drive Australia to 5-266 declared having been sent in to bat.

The knock backs up the two hundreds he posted for Australia A ahead of the Ashes, with 138 in a one-day clash against Gloucestershire and 139 not out against a strong England Lions side in Canterbury.

While he missed out in the intra-squad warm-up game in Southampton, Head started at No.5 in the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston, where he made 35 and 51 in the emphatic 251-run win.

Head shared a 101-run third-wicket partnership with Usman Khawaja, who said the Test vice-captain handled the tricky conditions with aplomb to post triple figures.

"(Head) batted beautifully today," Khawaja, who made 57, said after play.

"He's been batting well, he was batting well in the 'A' stuff too from all reports and batted beautifully in the last Test match.

"Scoring runs is a habit so you've got to keep doing it.

"He's in a really good place right now so hopefully he can keep doing it for the rest of the tour."

Such is the cramped Ashes itinerary, Head's effort came just two days after Australia wrapped up the come-from-behind win at Edgbaston.

It's uncommon in modern times for a tour game to follow soon after a Test match and Head was wary of the mental drain an intense Ashes contest could have on his teammates who played in Birmingham.

But Head led by example to put the tourists in a strong position after the opening day and will have four days to prepare in London ahead of the second Test.

"Five days (of Test cricket) is pretty taxing no matter what (the result is)," Head said when asked about the tight turnaround on Monday.

"If you get no runs, the mental state of being up for five days and being in the contest and thinking about the game and sleeping and all those things, they add up.

"There will be guys over the next three or four days who will come off the back of that and we have to make sure we are up and we continue to play well and get something out of the tour match.

"It will be high quality again, we want to keep the standard then we have four more days in to the next Test."

2019 Qantas Ashes Tour of England

Australia squad: Tim Paine (c), Cameron Bancroft, Pat Cummins, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Peter Siddle, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, David Warner.

England squad: Joe Root (c), Moeen Ali, Jimmy Anderson, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes (vc), Olly Stone, Chris Woakes.

First Test: Australia beat England by 251 runs at Edgbaston

Tour match: Australians v Worcestershire, August 7-9

Second Test: August 14-18,Lord's

Third Test: August 22-26, Headingley

Tour match: Australians v Derbyshire, August 29-31

Fourth Test: September 4-8, Old Trafford

Fifth Test: September 12-16, The Oval