Travis Head in numbers: How has the Australian opener taken the world by storm
Travis Head has been playing professional cricket since 2012, but it took him 11 years to make the world notice him. Head announced his arrival on the grand stage in 2023, when he smashed a century in the World Test Championship (WTC) Final against India and followed it up with a ton against the same opponents at the ODI World Cup Final in Ahmedabad.
After those two special knocks, Travis Head became one of the most feared batters in world cricket. His stocks went up significantly in franchise cricket as well, with Sunrisers Hyderabad handing him a ₹6.8 crore price at the IPL 2024 Auction. Head joined hands with Abhishek Sharma to destroy the opposition IPL teams' bowling lineup in the league this year.
The Aussie batter has continued in the same vein in the ongoing tour of Scotland and England, where he has played some unbelievable knocks. Last night in Nottingham, Head smashed a brilliant 129-ball 154 to help Australia chase down a 316-run target in just 44 overs.
In this article, we will take an in-depth look at Travis Head's numbers in international cricket, and how the Australian batter has taken the world by storm.
Travis Head has maintained 50+ average and 110+ strike rate in ODIs in last 3 years
It is rare to find a batter score at an average of more than 50 and a strike rate of more than 110 consistently in ODI format. However, Head has managed to do so in the last three years.
Head made his return to ODI cricket on March 29, 2022 against Pakistan and scored a century at the Gaddafi Stadium. It was his first ODI for Australia since November 11, 2018, and the southpaw has not looked back since.
He ended 2022 with 550 runs in just nine innings at an average of 68.75 and a strike rate of 112.24. Next year, in the big World Cup year, Head amassed 570 runs in 13 innings despite dealing with an injury. He maintained an average of 51.82 and a strike rate of 133.18.
Notably, the 30-year-old scored a 48-ball 62 in the semifinal against South Africa and followed it up with a 120-ball 137 against India in the final to help Australia win their first ODI World Cup in eight years.
Head has played only two ODIs thus far in 2024, and in those two games, he has scored 158 runs at a strike rate of 117.91. These numbers prove that he is the top ODI left-handed batter in the world right now, based on current form.
Travis Head's unbelievable improvement in Tests and T20Is
Just like his ODI career, Head returned to Australia's playing XI in T20Is in 2022 for the first time since 2018. In 2018, Head's T20I average was 23 and strike rate was 117.35.
Australia did not give him a single game from 2019 to 2021. In 2022, he returned for a match against Pakistan and smashed a quickfire 14-ball 26. Australia still ignored him for the T20 World Cup at home, but he earned another chance in 2023, and this time, he scored a 48-ball 91 against South Africa at Kingsmead to cement his place in the team.
Head has been a regular member of Australia's T20I team in 2024. In 15 innings, he has aggregated 539 runs at an average of 38.5 and a strike rate of 178.48. It is hard to believe that this is the same batter who averaged 23 and scored at a strike rate of less than 120 in 2018.
Talking about his Test records, Travis Head's average improved from 18 in 2020 to 50.38 in 2022. In 2023, Australia selected him for the World Test Championship Final against India, and he justified the decision by scoring 163 off 174 in the first innings. Australia won the WTC trophy for the first time, thanks to Head's century.
From being an afterthought to becoming Australia's greatest match-winner in the modern era, Travis Head has come a long way.