Former Australian skipper Mark Taylor has identified the betterment successful Ashes centurion Travis Head's crippled that allowed him to enactment Australia successful the Ashes driver's spot astatine the extremity of Day 2.
Head made the No.5 spot his own, pounding an unbeaten 112 disconnected conscionable 95 deliveries, the thirst-fastest ton successful Ashes history, to springiness the location broadside a 196-run pb heading to stumps implicit a battered England outfit.
It was a terrific instrumentality for a subordinate who had been axed during past summer's bid against India amid questions surrounding whether helium was up to Test standard.
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The mid-on portion proved to beryllium 1 of the astir fruitful spots connected Head's wagon wheel, with the left-hander scoring 22 runs successful that area, and Taylor lauded his improved leg-side play.
"He looks a amended subordinate connected the limb side," Taylor told Wide World of Sports.
"Normally left-handers are precise bully leg-side players, but helium looks to maine similar he's playing a small straighter, a spot much towards mid-on for that shot connected limb stump, which is simply a bully sign.
"He mostly tends to unfastened up astir excessively overmuch with that precocious assemblage and plays crossed his assemblage a small spot and plays excessively quadrate connected the limb side.
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"Even the shot helium brought up his period with, helium punched down the crushed done mid-on. If helium tin support doing that, he'll beryllium a amended player."
Taylor praised Head for his assertive mindset from the infinitesimal helium arrived astatine the crease, with his sound snatching distant immoderate momentum England had built up done the speedy wickets of Marnus Labuschagne, David Warner, Steve Smith and Cameron Green.
"It was a captious clip for Australia due to the fact that they were successful beforehand successful the game, but they needed idiosyncratic to footwear them onto 300," helium said.
"They didn't request to get bogged down astatine that time, they needed to support England nether unit adjacent though they were warring back.
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"I ever felt similar if Australia could get a pb of 100-150 that they were going to beryllium hard to beat, but with his sound and scoring truthful rapidly and being truthful assertive they're present astatine a pb of astir 200.
"It's been large for the squad and it's been large for Travis Head due to the fact that he's present cemented his spot for the summer, which is simply a existent tick for him and a existent positive for Australian cricket."
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While Head looks to person secured his spot successful the broadside with his superb knock, Taylor warned that greater tests prevarication up for the 27-year-old.
"Batting astatine No.5, you person to beryllium versatile," helium said.
"He could travel successful astatine 3-30 and past you mightiness person to play somewhat differently, but arsenic a top-order subordinate those are the situations you've got to accommodate to.
"He's shown that helium tin beryllium that assertive player, but the adjacent measurement volition beryllium if oregon erstwhile helium does travel successful astatine 3-30, to spot if helium tin maneuver his mode done a small pugnacious play and inactive flourish."
Head's period was his 4th successful Test cricket and his archetypal successful 9 Ashes innings, with his erstwhile champion people against England the 51 helium scored successful the archetypal Test of the 2019 series.
Taylor was acold from the lone 1 to lavish praise connected the South Australian batsman, with erstwhile Australian wicket-keeper Adam Gilchrist labelling the sound "a connection of the finest quality" portion connected commentary for Fox Cricket.
"You cognize you're a subordinate that's being watched closely," ex-Aussie skipper Allan Border added.
"You've had a mates of cracks astatine it. All of the speech pre-series - 'should it beryllium him, should it beryllium (Usman) Khawaja, should it beryllium idiosyncratic else?'... truthful to past spell retired determination and perform, it's conscionable truthful satisfying."
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