Here's why Travis Head wants seam-friendly pitches for Ashes
What's the story
Australia's star batsman Travis Head has expressed his preference for seam-friendly pitches in the upcoming Ashes series, starting November 21 in Perth. The player believes such surfaces provide more opportunities to score valuable runs than flatter ones. This comes as a major talking point, considering the trend of Test surfaces in Australia favoring seam bowlers over the past four summers.
Past performance
Head prefers seam-friendly pitches
Head was the player of the series in the 2021-22 Ashes Down Under, scoring stunning centuries on challenging pitches in Brisbane and Hobart. He told ESPNcricinfo that he enjoys batting on such wickets more than flatter ones as they provide more opportunities to score. "The slower, flat wickets probably don't tend to that," he said, adding that fast-paced pitches allow players to get away with a few things.
Scoring strategy
It's a run-based game, says head
Head stressed that his approach to batting is all about scoring runs whenever opportunities present themselves. He said, "It's a run-based game. You see some of the great players, like Steve Smith, Joe Root, you blink and they're on 30 or 40." The batsman also noted that even if the pitches are challenging, players can still score runs by adapting their strategies accordingly.
Batting trends
Batters' recent numbers across home
Since the start of the 2021-22 Ashes, top seven batters have averaged just 30.22 per dismissal in Test matches in Australia, scoring a combined total of 24 centuries across 20 Tests, according to ESPNcricinfo. In contrast, from the start of 2017-18 Ashes to the end of the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar series, these batters averaged a better 38.14 across 20 Tests with as many as 34 centuries scored.
Home advantage
Australia's batters have struggled in home conditions
Despite the trend of low run-scoring in Australia, Head has thrived with an impressive average of 54.64 and six centuries at a strike rate of 88.90. No other player has averaged over 45.29 in Australia during this period. However, other Australian batters have struggled on home soil lately, with Steven Smith averaging just 45.26 across the last four home summers with four centuries to his name.