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Head acknowledges the applause from the Perth crowd after his swashbuckling second-innings ton.Credit: AP<\/p>\n
One player who has Head\u2019s respect is England captain Ben Stokes, although the Australian said he got very little from Stokes out in the middle.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe is one of the most clutch players I\u2019ve played against,\u201d Head said. \u201cIf you talk about big moments, Ben Stokes is up there, and he\u2019s the captain and setting the tone. He\u2019s the one bloke I can\u2019t get anything out of, other than sometimes a sledge here and there towards me. But he\u2019s a competitive beast.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gilchrist\u2019s message, which Head was truly chuffed about, came just after the first Test\u2019s conclusion.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe messaged me and said, \u2018Well done.\u2019 He was very proud. I messaged him back and said, \u2018How the hell did you do it quicker? In 50-odd balls?\u2019. He said he got a very tight attack on a very hot day in Perth,\u201d Head told Triple M in Melbourne.<\/p>\n
A few legends have already sprung up about Head\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
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\u201cDad was rolling past the TV, going out for dinner, apparently. He saw me walking out to bat, and so he sat there,\u201d Head said. \u201cI think my manager rang him and said, \u2018Are you watching this?\u2019 and Dad just bought a house, and he says he\u2019s there drinking a bottle of Veuve…\u201d<\/p>\n
Asked about England\u2019s decision not to send any of their Test XI from Perth to Canberra for the Prime Minister\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can see why they haven\u2019t gone, but I can see why the average punter or the ex-player can see it differently,\u201d Head said.<\/p>\n
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The last thing Head wanted to do was fire up England\u2019s firebrand quick, Jofra Archer (pictured).Credit: Getty Images<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can either get in those moments and change the script and say, \u2018We\u2019re going to train\u2019, or you can double down and go, \u2018Nup, we\u2019ve had this planned out, we know exactly how we want to go for five Tests, this team\u2019s been together for four years, and we\u2019re committed to the cause, and we know what we need to do\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve got to respect the fact they\u2019ve been a bloody good team, and I reckon they\u2019ve got their plans, they\u2019ve had their plans set, and they\u2019re doubling down. Credit to them, they\u2019re going to live by the sword or die by the sword, and we\u2019ll see where we\u2019re at in Brisbane.\u201d<\/p>\n