"His second ball was both short and wide and hacked over gully by Travis Head. His third ball was short and straight and smashed past midwicket by Travis Head. His fourth ball was defended with a show of furrowed caution, to loud, mocking cheers from a crowd that had begun to tuck into the day. Welcome to the treadmill, Pottsy. And yes, it's always like this around here."
"By the end of Potts's next over, with Australia nudging past 200 for two, Head was reeling off strange, semi-ironical shadow shots after leaving the ball, the kind you only ever play with a shampoo bottle in the bathroom. At one point he unfurled an absurd Mohammad Azharuddin-style whip for two. He's doing batting impressions now. Give us a Goochie. Do Chanderpaul. Do Travis Head windmilling a 78mph all-sort past deep square leg."
Forty-five minutes into an overcast morning at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Matt Potts began bowling and saw Travis Head dominate each delivery with aggressive, inventive shots. Head punished wide and short balls, producing semi-ironical shadow strokes and an Azharuddin-style whip, pushing Australia past 200 for two. England's fielding and tactics faltered with three dropped catches, two wasted reviews and a missed run-out, yielding 115 runs for one wicket in 30.5 overs by lunch. The session was defined by complacency and errors rather than chaos, leaving England to rue a retro-style collapse despite Potts' variation.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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