Opener Travis Head has continued terrorising England’s inexperienced bowling cartel, helping Australia build a formidable reply as Ben Stokes’ men lost the plot on day three of the New Year’s Ashes contest at the SCG.
The hosts were in complete control at 3-281 at lunch, still trailing England by 103 runs, with Head (157*) and interim captain Steve Smith (14*) unbeaten in the middle.
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Resuming at 2-166 on Tuesday morning, nightwatcher Michael Neser combined with Head for a 72-run partnership to frustrate England’s bowlers, with the Queensland veteran surviving 105 minutes in the middle.
Unbeaten on 91 overnight, Head spent 24 minutes in the nervous nineties before reaching triple figures for a third time this summer, achieving the feat in 105 deliveries. The South Australian brought up his 12th Test hundred with a cautious drive through the covers, removing his helmet and resting it on the toe of his bat, elevated high above his head in trademark fashion.
Matthew Potts’ first three deliveries were slapped to the boundary rope, continuing a forgettable Ashes debut for the Durham seamer, while captain Stokes wasted both of England’s remaining reviews on Neser — one for a non-existent edge and another for an LBW shout that struck him outside the line of off stump.
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It was slow-going for Neser, who only managed four runs from his first 54 deliveries, but he soon picked up the tempo, thumping a couple of stylising boundaries through the point region.
England turned to the bumper ploy with five fielders on the boundary, and Head took the bait on 121, hooking a bouncer directly towards deep point, only for all-rounder Will Jacks to drop a simple chance near the rope, prompting loud jeers from the Sydney crowd. Shortly after, Brydon Carse put down a one-handed catch at deep third, but the chance was far from regulation, a forgivable misdemeanour.
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Neser finally departed for 24 after feathering a channel delivery from Carse through to wicketkeeper Jamie Smith, with England’s quicks continuing to pepper Head with bouncers at the other end. But the left-hander was unfazed by the barrage, at one stage rocking back and smacking Potts into the Bill O’Reilly Stand’s second tier.
Head passed the 150-run milestone with a flashy late cut over the slips cordon, while under-pressure opener Ben Duckett missed a potential run-out chance late in the morning session. And to rub salt into the wounds, another two difficult chances went begging during the final two overs before the break, ending a woeful session for the tourists — Zak Crawley grassed a low catch at leg slip to hand Smith a massive reprieve on 12, while a return chance thudded into Jacks’ palm, with Head surviving on 156.