Former England pacer Stuart Broad, the fifth-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket, has stepped in with a special suggestion on how to stop Travis Head. The Australian batter recently crushed England’s hopes of taking an early lead in the Ashes series with a match-winning performance.
During the first Test at the Optus Stadium in Perth, Head proved to be the biggest difference between the teams. Australia have had a perfect start to the World Test Championship with four wins in four games, and Head played a huge part in keeping that streak alive.
Batting under tough conditions, Head opened the innings after Steve Smith promoted him to the role. Chasing 205, he delivered a superb knock of 123, completely taking the game away from England.
Broad Explains How to Frustrate Travis Head
Stuart Broad, England’s second-highest wicket-taker in red-ball cricket, believes the best way to dismiss Head is by cutting down his opportunities. He feels England’s bowlers should aim to frustrate him into playing a risky shot.
“What they could have done when Travis Head was really going, then you have to use your awareness to say, ‘Let’s get him off strike, let’s let him to face one ball an over and it’s a clip off his hip and he gets one and you don’t let him face four, five balls an over and he hits a boundary in those’”, Broad told Australian radio station SEN.
“And crucially, when you get him off strike, Marnus Labuschagne comes down to the facing end, you bowl dots at him and create pressure on him.
“Suddenly, you do that for forty minutes, and Travis Head gets bored of getting a single and tries something outrageous and might get out. That’s what England could have done a bit better. Yes, we like to see this aggressive play, and it’s always looking at the positive option.
“But sometimes, the positive option is to take the bite out of what’s going on just to try and make Travis Head do something different. You can’t just let him keep flaying it for hours on end and ends up with 120-odd off 80-odd balls. I think England could have done that a bit differently.”
Read More
Broad Says Stokes Looked Short of Ideas
Broad also pointed out that this was a rare moment where Ben Stokes seemed unsure of how to respond tactically. With time before the second Test in Brisbane, he believes Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum will need to rethink their plans.
“It’s the first time that I’ve seen Ben Stokes not have a tactical answer on the pitch,” Stuart Broad said of Head’s impressive innings in Perth. “And that means full credit to what he (Travis Head) was able to do. When I reflect on what England could have done, it came as a shock.
“They’ve designed their mindset to Travis Head coming in at No.5. He opens the batting because Usman Khawaja has a back spasm. So, the plan is already gone. You’ve now got a new ball. ‘Okay, what’s the plan to Travis Head with a brand new ball? We’ve not even discussed this leading into this series’, so you’re a little bit scrambled,” Stuart Broad added.
England Release Players Ahead of Second Test
With the first match wrapped up in just two days, England have released a few players from the Ashes squad to take part in a two-day game against the Prime Minister’s XI.
All-rounder Jacob Bethell and pacers Matthew Potts and Josh Tongue have been released ahead of the second Test at the Gabba in Brisbane.
ALSO READ: Darcey Carter Soars Up ICC Rankings After Brilliant Emerging Nations Trophy Run
