Travis Head has admitted that he “took the piss a bit” as he shared the inspiration behind his century celebration where he kissed the Adelaide Oval pitch on Friday.
The hometown hero finished day three unbeaten on 142 with fellow South Australian Alex Carey 52 not out as Australia extending their lead to 356 runs.
The Adelaide crowd were in fine spirits during the evening session as Head reached his hundred to add to the celebratory mood around the City of Churches after Carey’s day one ton.
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The Australian gloveman still clearly has some work to do to catch Head in the favouritism stakes as the new found opener drew the larger cheers when he pumped Joe Root over mid off for four to bring up the milestone.
Head did the customary raise of the bat along with taking his helmet off, but once the formalities were completed he got creative.
The 31-year-old also threw off his gloves, got down on his knees and kissed the pitch that he has now made Test centuries on four years in a row.
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It is a rare phenomenon to feast so regularly at one venue as Head joined Sir Donald Bradman, who managed the feat at the MCG from 1928-1931 and Headingley between 1930-1948, Michael Clarke (Adelaide between 2012 and 2014) and Steve Smith (MCG from 204 to 2017) as Aussies in the quartet club.
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So, Head thought he better acknowledge the surface for how good it has been to him.
“I’ve got a little in the mouth,” Head told reporters with a laugh when asked if his ‘kiss’ of the pitch left grass in his mouth.
“I got the rise out of the dressing room that I expected. I took the piss a bit, but the wicket’s looked after me over the last few years.
“I didn’t think I’d get one (hundred at Adelaide Oval), so to get four is not too bad… I felt all right.”
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There were nervous moments in the lead up at Head faced eight dot balls while stuck on 99.
England brought the field up for Root and he was unable to penetrate, while he was dropped by Harry Brook in the gully off Jofra Archer at the other end.
The Adelaide crowd took great delight in Brook’s drop with the cheers louder than when other players have reached milestones in the game, but while the tension built around the ground, Head insisted that he remained calm.
“Could have been there for a while,” Head said.
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“I wouldn’t say nervous. I was pretty good. I just had in the back of my mind that I got stumped off Joe Root at Lords trying to slog him out of the ground a few years ago, so I wasn’t going to take too much risk. I thought I’d be able to get one through the gap.
“I was just going to bide my time. Went through it well. We got there eventually. Wasn’t probably too long.
“I did joke with some of the boys that it could take while if this was the field.”
England drop Head on 99! | 00:21
As for the atmosphere and sharing such a special moment with his Sheffield Shield teammate, the significance of the occasion was not lost on Head as he walked off embracing Carey.
“Anywhere I go I try to take the atmosphere in. You’re not going to play forever,” he said.
“Especially at home, take that in. When I’m walking out to bat, I always take it in.
“As your innings goes on, you’re sort of looking into the crowd, you’re pretty close here in Adelaide, so I can normally see my mates on the terrace.
“You can feel it.”
Travis Head smashes home ground 100! | 01:08
The Saturday crowd will go into overdrive tomorrow morning if Head can push for a double ton and Carey can chases a second century of the match.
It would be a remarkable feat from the gloveman and Head said he ensured they got through to the close of play on Friday.
“He’s playing well. He probably kept me up-and-about there those last 45 minutes, I started waver a bit. I was pretty stuffed,” Head said.
“We don’t really talk much, but you could sense his energy at the crease and in between overs to get to stumps … he kept me going out there, and it was nice to walk off with him at the end of the day.”
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