Australia needed a volunteer to replace an injured opening batter in the most hostile of scenarios. Enter Travis Head.

What ensued is already Ashes folklore. Given it’s the oldest and most storied international rivalry in cricket, Head’s hundred was a truly extraordinary achievement.

“Travis was like ‘I want to do it.’ So I was like: ‘Mate, go for your life!’” captain Steve Smith said after Australia’s remarkable eight-wicket win on Saturday.

And so the mustachioed left-hander replaced Usman Khawaja at the top of the order with Australia set a target of 205 to win on an apparently brutal pitch where neither the hosts nor England had accumulated more than 172 in an innings.

The highest individual score in three innings before Head strode to the crease was 52, and 30 wickets had tumb

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