Travis Head

A talented, aggressive left-hand batter earmarked for big things at a young age, it was Travis Head's second coming as an international cricketer where his career really took off. In late 2021 he was recalled for the Ashes series and made a match-defining 85-ball century at the Gabba - it set the tone for a strong of destructive Test innings while he also reemerged as a white-ball force, so central to Australia's 2023 ODI World Cup plans that they waited for him to recover from a broken hand. In the final against India he made 137 off 120 balls. A cult hero was born.

Head earned his first call-up to Australia's squad at the age of 22 for a series of T20Is against India in early 2016 and it was initially the white-ball game where he established himself before Test cricket took over following a debut in 2018.

He had made his Sheffield Shield debut at the age of 18 in the 2011-12 season and over the next few summers he established his place in the South Australia batting line-up and was a consistent contributor. In February 2015, Head became their youngest captain at the age of 21. He had been viewed as a future leader ever since he captained South Australia to the Under-19 National Championship title in 2012-13 and was named Player of the Championship. As captain of South Australia he showed maturity beyond his years, and in 2015-16 steered them to their first Sheffield Shield final in 20 years.

In 2018 he earned his first Test call-up of part of a new look Australia side which faced Pakistan in the UAE. He played 16 consecutive Tests, scoring a maiden hundred against Sri Lanka in Canberra, before missing the final match of the Ashes series but returned for the home season and notched a second ton in the Boxing Day Test against New Zealand.

He was dropped again midway through the 2020-21 series against India but remained prolific at domestic level. The following season he was preferred ahead of Usman Khawaja for the final middle-order spot and would go on to claim the Compton-Miller medal as Player of the Series despite missing the Sydney Test with Covid. He found life tougher on the subcontinent but it was still a surprising decision to omit him for the first Test against India in early 2023. The absence lasted one match and he was elevated to open the batting.

Back in his traditional middle-order role away from Asia, he continued the trend of match-defining centuries with a brilliant 163 in the World Test Championship final against India at The Oval. Later that year he would have two medals around his neck.
ESPNcricinfo staff