3 reasons why Travis Head is the best all-format batter in the world presently
England became Australian opener Travis Head's latest victim in the opening ODI of the five-match series at Nottingham on September 19. Despite chasing a daunting 316 for victory, Head hardly broke a sweat in pummeling the English attack for a sensational 129-ball 154* with 20 boundaries and five maximums.
His brutal assault stunned the hosts and their fans as Australia romped home by seven wickets with six overs to spare. However, more than Head's numbers, it was how easy he made batting look even against high-quality bowlers like Jofra Archer and Adil Rashid.
That experts and fans looked at Head's knock like it was par for the course highlighted the champion batter's stranglehold on the cricketing world over the past few years.
The fact that such displays from Head have become routine in all three formats makes one wonder if he is currently the best all-format batter in world cricket.
While the celebrated 'Fab Four' and a few others may disagree, here are three reasons why Travis Head is currently the best all-format batter in the world.
#1 Travis Head symbolizes the 'Cometh the Hour Cometh the Man' expression like no other batter
Travis Head has been the epitome of a big match performer across all formats over the past two to three years.
The 30-year-old almost single-handedly stopped Team India from winning two ICC trophies last year against all odds. Despite batting in the middle-order Head finished sixth in the run-scoring charts for the 2021-23 World Test Championship (WTC) with 1,389 runs at a stunning average of 55.56 and a strike rate of almost 82.
He carried that form in the WTC final against India, scoring a match-winning 163 off 174 deliveries to help Australia clinch the title. Head then resurrected Australia's sub-par 2023 ODI World Cup with a magical 109 off 67 against New Zealand.
The South Australia-born cricketer then became only the fourth-ever to win the Player of the Match award in an ODI World Cup semi-final and final. After a crucial 48-ball 62 in the low-scoring semi-final against South Africa, Head silenced over 100,000 spectators at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad with a majestic 120-ball 137 in the finale against India.
The knock came with the Aussies reeling at 47/3 in response to India's 240 on a tricky wicket in Ahmedabad.
Even in the recent T20 World Cup, Head was the lone warrior for Australia with a 43-ball 76 in a virtual quarter-final loss against India. His ability to stand up and deliver in almost all the marquee matches and tournaments across formats over the past year has made him the most clutch batter currently playing.
#2 Travis Head's winning impact is second to none
The 154* against England was only the latest installment of Travis Head's unparalleled winning impact for Australia in all three formats. The southpaw boasts incredible batting numbers in Australia's wins, an evidence of the difference his runs make to the side's fortunes.
For starters, Australia have won 31 games with only ten losses when Head plays in Tests. In those 31 wins, he averages an excellent 50.11 at a strike rate of almost 72.
However, the numbers drop drastically in the 10 losses with Head averaging only 25.25 at a strike rate of under 50.
The story is similar in ODIs with Head averaging a stellar 60.29 at a strike rate of 108.53 in Australia wins and only 30.76 at 95.54 in defeats. In T20Is, the average shoots up to almost 41 at a strike rate of 165.11 in wins but drops to under 22 in losses.
Head's averages in all three formats are almost doubled in wins compared to losses, the hallmark of peak winning impact.
#3 Most versatile batter in world cricket
How often do we someone dominate at different batting positions, different stages of an innings and against all types of bowlers? Travis Head falls in that rare breed that has ticked each of these boxes in style.
The fact that he opens in the white-ball formats and bats at No.4 or 5 in Tests, while achieving ultimate success in both is evidence of his incredible versatility. Beyond that, Head scores at a strike rate of 114 in the powerplay but at almost 100 even after that in ODIs.
Over the past three years, the 30-year-old has also displayed the ability to produce crucial knocks in varying conditions across formats from England to India. Australia's Test forturnes changed dramatically when Head rediscovered himself as their enforcer in the middle order in the 2021-23 WTC cycle.
Likewise, his electrying starts opening the batting in white-ball cricket was key to them winning the 50-over World Cup last year. Head also flipped the Indian Test tour in 2023 with his batting prowess against high-quality spinners on turning tracks.
Australia were down 0-2 when Head replaced David Warner at the top and the next two Tests were 1-0 in their favor.
With a wide array of strokes, terrific big-match temperment and a game suited to domination pace and spin, Head's versatility and adaptability is second to none at the moment in world cricket.