Statistical highlights from Travis Head’s 85-ball hundred and Australia’s strong showing on day two of the first Ashes Test
Sampath Bandarupalli09-Dec-202185 Balls Travis Head needed to reach his century, the joint-third fastest by anyone in the history of the Ashes. Only two players recorded an Ashes ton in fewer balls – Adam Gilchrist off 57 balls in Perth in 2006 and Gilbert Jessop off 76 deliveries at The Oval in 1902.ESPNcricinfo Ltd2 Number of batters with more runs in a session than Travis’ 112 not-out in Tests since 2016. Ben Stokes smashed 130 runs against South Africa in the morning session on day two of the Cape Town Test in 2016, while Shikhar Dhawan scored 126 runs against Sri Lanka in the second session on the first day of the Galle Test in 2017.1 Head’s 85-ball ton is also the fastest recorded hundred in Test cricket at the Gabba. The previous fastest century in Tests at the venue was by Joe Burns, needing only 102 balls for his century against New Zealand in 2015. No player before Head had scored 100 or more runs in a single session in Tests at the venue.112 Runs by Head in the final session on the second day’s play. Only four batters scored more runs in a single session of a day’s place in Ashes Tests (where known). His tally of 112 runs is also the most in a session in the Ashes since Stan McCabe’s 127 in the second session on day three of the Nottingham Test in 1938.
8.63 Jack Leach’s economy rate during the 11 overs he bowled on the second day, costing 95 runs. Only one player has had a worse economy rate while bowling 60 or more balls in a Test innings – 8.85 by Yasir Shah against Australia in Sydney in 2017.11 Partnerships between Marnus Labuschagne and David Warner for 1000 runs as a Test pair. They are the second-fastest pair to 1000 Test partnership runs for Australia, behind Donald Bradman and Bill Ponsford, who got there in only nine innings together. Only two other Test pairs completed a 1000 partnership runs in fewer innings than Labuschagne and Warner: 8 innings by England’s Jack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe and Pakistan’s Hanif Mohammad and Saeed Ahmed, in ten innings.2 Scores in the 90s for Warner in Test cricket. The first instance of him getting out in the 90s was against South Africa in November 2016 in Perth. Warner converted each of his first 16 scores of 90-plus runs into hundreds.
