Australian opener Travis Head in the CWC 2023 finals steered Australia to their 6th World Cup Title by scoring his 5th ODI century. Compared to the 2003 World Cup finals, this was the most painful defeat to accept for Indian fans.
Restricting India to a total of 240-10 in 50 overs, Travis Head played a crucial role during the 1st innings by taking a superb catch of the Indian opener cum captain Rohit Sharma.
Dismissing the most explosive batsman at an early stage proved to be a game-changing moment for the Aussies.
Australia started 2nd innings in a destructive mode by scoring 15 runs off the first over bowled by Jasprit Bumrah.
The only option for the Indians was to grab many wickets during the first 15 overs of the 2nd innings. After the 15 overs, the batsman becomes completely set to bat under the lights and a considerable dew coming into action.
Indian bowlers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj initially threatened the Aussies by grabbing 3 wickets instantaneously of their best batsman such as :
- David Warner (7 runs from 3 balls): At 16-1 in 1.1 overs
- Mitchell Marsh ( 15 runs from 15 balls): At 41-2 in 4.3 overs
- Steve Smith ( 4 runs from 9 balls): At 47-3 in 6.6 overs.
At 47-3 in 7 overs, the Australian team was completely left in a state of confusion.
The 29-year-old mustached Australian batsman was not panicked during the most crucial moments of this tournament. Rather, he kept his nerves calm and decided to maintain a steady partnership with Marnus Labuschagne.
Travis Head in the CWC 2023 finals: A Mission to Build a Steady Partnership!
The 8th over bowled by Mohammed Shami was completely defended by Travis Head to safeguard his wicket.
Though Australia scored 60-3 in the first ten overs of the powerplay, they were still 20 runs short of India when compared.
Travis Head in the CWC 2023 finals was confident about maintaining a steady partnership with Labuschagne. Head assured that preventing any quickfall of wickets would guide his team safely to the winning total. It resulted in the new combination taking its own time to settle at the crease.
Head and Labuschagne decided to play as many dot balls as possible till the 15th over of the 2nd innings. It helped score possible boundaries through the gaps by Travis Head.
Also, the duo ensured to score at least 4 to 6 runs per over during the initial stages to keep the required run rate above par.
On the other side, Marnus Labuschagne defended many balls to make sure Travis Head bats under the lights to comfortably chase the target.
This dual combination successfully reached their first 50-run partnership within 66 balls during the 19th over.
Furthermore, Australia finally reached 100 runs in 19.1 overs of the match without losing a wicket.
Travis Head in the CWC 2023 finalsachieved his half-century of 50 runs from 58 balls during the 22nd over.
After scoring a crucial half-century, Head decided to enhance this partnership with Labuschagne to the next level.
It was proving to be a formidable test for the Indian skipper Rohit Sharma as the ball was coming onto the bat effortlessly for the Aussies.
100 runs partnership between Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne:
Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne completed their 100-run partnership of 115 balls during the 27th over
Here are the scores of the Head and Labuschagne following the century partnership:
- Travis Head: 70 runs from 73 balls
- Marnus Labuschagne: 34 runs from 61 balls
As a result, Australia crossed the 150-run mark during the 28th over bowled by Jasprit Bumrah.
Head and Labuschagne maintained their calm by achieving a crucial partnership that steadied the Australian’s innings with the bat.
Travis Head in the CWC 2023 finals: Transformation of Labuschagne and Head’s Partnership
After maintaining a steady partnership, it was a perfect time for Head and Labuschagne to switch gears and play intense shots.
Travis Head in the CWC 2023 finals, reached his 5th ODI century within 95 balls during the 34th over bowled by Kuldeep Yadav. Head survived a direct hit from Ravindra Jadeja in an attempt to take a single run to reach his century.
Additionally, Head and Labuschagne completed their 150-run partnership in 172 balls by attempting to play fierce shots.
Marnus Labuschagne provided a perfect backup to Head by scoring 58 runs from 110 balls ( including 4 fours)
Finally, Travis Head in the CWC 2023 finals was dismissed by Mohammed Siraj after scoring a winning century of 137 runs from 120 balls (including 15 fours and 4 sixes). But, it was too late as the match was out of the men in blue’s control.
After Head’s dismissal, Glenn Maxwell smashed the winning runs for his team. As a result, the Indian cricket team’s journey concluded as the runner-up of the CWC 2023 tournament.
Travis Head set the best example for the young cricketers in performing as a constructive and destructive player.
The partnership of 192 runs from 211 balls between Head and Labuschagne, becomes the 2nd highest for Australia in the World Cup finals.
Head’s crucial century snatched the victory from the men-in-blue on their home ground.
Ultimately, the Australians are the new defending champions by claiming their World Cup title for the 6th time.
