Head acknowledges the applause from the Perth crowd after his swashbuckling second-innings ton.Credit: AP
One player who has Head’s respect is England captain Ben Stokes, although the Australian said he got very little from Stokes out in the middle.
“He is one of the most clutch players I’ve played against,” Head said. “If you talk about big moments, Ben Stokes is up there, and he’s the captain and setting the tone. He’s the one bloke I can’t get anything out of, other than sometimes a sledge here and there towards me. But he’s a competitive beast.”
Gilchrist’s message, which Head was truly chuffed about, came just after the first Test’s conclusion.
“He messaged me and said, ‘Well done.’ He was very proud. I messaged him back and said, ‘How the hell did you do it quicker? In 50-odd balls?’. He said he got a very tight attack on a very hot day in Perth,” Head told Triple M in Melbourne.
A few legends have already sprung up about Head’s innings, one of them from his father, Simon, who was about to leave the house for dinner when he noticed his son walking out to bat. A couple of hours later he was still there, sipping champagne to celebrate.
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“Dad was rolling past the TV, going out for dinner, apparently. He saw me walking out to bat, and so he sat there,” Head said. “I think my manager rang him and said, ‘Are you watching this?’ and Dad just bought a house, and he says he’s there drinking a bottle of Veuve…”
Asked about England’s decision not to send any of their Test XI from Perth to Canberra for the Prime Minister’s XI pink-ball game at Manuka Oval, Head said that he had been in Australian sides that changed plans in response to a heavy defeat, but others that had not.
“I can see why they haven’t gone, but I can see why the average punter or the ex-player can see it differently,” Head said.
The last thing Head wanted to do was fire up England’s firebrand quick, Jofra Archer (pictured).Credit: Getty Images
“You can either get in those moments and change the script and say, ‘We’re going to train’, or you can double down and go, ‘Nup, we’ve had this planned out, we know exactly how we want to go for five Tests, this team’s been together for four years, and we’re committed to the cause, and we know what we need to do’.
“You’ve got to respect the fact they’ve been a bloody good team, and I reckon they’ve got their plans, they’ve had their plans set, and they’re doubling down. Credit to them, they’re going to live by the sword or die by the sword, and we’ll see where we’re at in Brisbane.”
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