Travis Head starred in Ashes 2025, scoring 163 in the final Test to pass 600 runs. Originally a middle-order batter, his success as an opener has ignited debate over cementing a permanent spot at the top of Australia’s batting lineup.
Australian southpaw Travis Head delivered yet another masterclass performance in the fifth and final Test of the Ashes 2025 series against England at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on Tuesday, January 6. Head was batting on 91 as the hosts resumed their first innings batting on 166/2 on Day 3, trailing by 218 runs against England’s first-innings total of 384 all out.
Heading into Day 3, the focus was on Travis Head, who has been the standout batter of the Ashes series, and the flamboyant converted his overnight score of 91 into a fluent century, bringing it up in just 105 balls, with 17 boundaries, and keeping Australia’s innings on track while steadily reducing the deficit.
Head did not stop here as he went on to notch up his second 150 of the Ashes series in 152 balls, unleashing crisp drives and pulls that put Australia back in a strong position, significantly reducing the gap and putting the hosts firmly in control of the first-innings battle. The 31-year-old played a brilliant innings of 163 off 166 balls, including 24 fours and a six, at an impressive strike rate of 98.19.
Related Articles
An Ashes Series to Remember for Travis Head
Travis Head has had a brilliant Test series of his career, once again emerging as the backbone of Australia’s batting line-up. The southpaw has been central to the hosts’ batting dominance in the Ashes 2025 series, as no Australian player managed to score 500 or more runs in a single Ashes series since Steve Smith’s 774 in 2019.
The drought was broken by Travis Head, as he became just the third Australian batter in the 21st century to pass the 500-run mark this summer. The southpaw completed his first 500-run mark in a Test series on Day 2 of the Sydney Test. On Day 3, the flamboyant touched the 600-run mark for the series, further cementing his status as the standout performer of Ashes 2025.
Since 1975, Travis Head has become the first Australian left-handed batter to score 600 runs in a single Ashes series and also one of only nine openers in Ashes history to reach the 600‑run mark. In the ongoing Ashes 2025 series, which is set to be concluded after the SCG Test, the southpaw has amassed 600 runs, including three centuries, at an average of 66.66 and a strike rate of 87.59 in nine innings.
With incredible consistency and match-winning innings, Head has dominated England throughout the series. With an innings left in the Ashes series finale, Travis Head has the chance to further extend his tally and solidify his status as one of Australia’s premier batters in the longest format of the game.
Has Head Stake Claim for Opener’s Slot?
Travis Head was supposed to play the entire Ashes series as the middle-order batter, as he was the most reliable option for Australia at No.4. However, the southpaw was promoted as an opener after Usman Khawaja was ruled out of the second innings of the Perth opener due to a back spasm. Since then, Head has thrived as an opener, combining aggression and stability at the top order.
In Australia’s 205-run chase in the Ashes series opener, Head played an aggressive innings of 123 off 83 balls to help the hosts secure an eight-wicket victory and take a 1-0 lead. In the third Test at the Adelaide Oval, the left-handed batter delivered a masterclass knock of 170 off 219 balls in the second innings, combining aggression with careful shot selection to help Australia set a challenging 435-run target for England to chase.
Despite the return of Usman Khawaja to the playing XI after being ruled out of the second Test, Travis Head continued to play as an opener, as the Australia selectors and team management apparently look at him as a long-term opener, as Khawaja is set to retire after the ongoing Sydney Test.
Following the retirement of David Warner in 2024, Australia struggled to find a settled opening pair, and Head’s strong performances might have forced the selectors to stick with his role at the top, even with veterans like Khawaja fit again. In the past as well, Travis Head opened for Australia in Tests, scoring 321 runs, including two centuries, at an average of 45.85 in five matches.
With 600 runs in the ongoing Ashes series, Head’s tally of runs as an opener increased to 900 runs, including three centuries and two fifties, at an average of 60 in 10 matches. In a single Test series, the Australian southpaw also equalled the record for most centuries by an opener in an Ashes campaign.
Middle Order to Likely Full-Time Opener - Head’s Rise in the Line-up
Travis Head began his Test career in the middle order by batting at No.5 in a match against Pakistan in 2018 and was considered a dependable middle-order anchor for Australia. In the majority of his career in red-ball cricket for Australia, Head played at No.5 and No.6, providing strength and finishing strength.
Head received sporadic opportunities to open in Test cricket earlier in his career, appearing in just five Test matches before the Ashes 2025 series. In the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against Team India in 2024/25, Head batted at No.5 and aggregated 448 runs, including two centuries and a fifty, at an average of 56.00 in nine innings, reaffirming that the southpaw would continue as Australia’s middle order anchor.
However, the ongoing Ashes 2025 series witnessed an emergence of a new dimension to Head’s game, as he seamlessly adapted to open the innings, combining his aggression with temperament and consistently providing strong starts for Australia. In his Test career so far, Travis Head has scored 3,627 runs, including nine centuries, at an average of 41.21 in 57 matches, out of a total of 4,563 runs in 66 matches.
Travis Head playing the entire Ashes series as an opener has not only showcased his adaptability but also strengthened his claim for a permanent spot at the top of Australia’s batting order, combining consistency with match-winning performances.
