Travis Head continued his spectacular form with the bat against England in the 1st T20I. The opener blasted Sam Curran for 30 runs in his first over and raced to a half-century off just 19 balls in a dazzling knock of 59 runs. His innings featured eight fours and four sixes, giving Australia a rapid start. Eventually, the left-hander was dismissed for 59 runs off 23 balls as Saqib Mahmood claimed his wicket.
It all began with a boundary over mid-on when Sam Curran dragged a slower delivery halfway into the pitch. The next ball, also short, was carved through the off-side by Head.
Head's first six of the innings came on the third ball, as he executed a short-arm pull over deep square leg. Despite Curran’s attempt to adjust his length, after being hit for 4, 4, and 6, his efforts were in vain. Head planted his front foot and swung powerfully to send the ball sailing over the ropes.
The fifth ball of the over saw Head complete a hat-trick of sixes with a superb shot. Curran's delivery was full and wide, but Head expertly transferred his weight to the front foot and used the extra room to smash the ball over covers, sending it deep into the stands. The final ball of the over, another full delivery around the fifth stump, was struck with brutal force by Head, resulting in a one-bounce four over covers.
The 30 runs that Head managed against Curran ties an Australian men's record for most runs from one T20I over joining the likes of Ricky Ponting, Daniel Christian and Mitch Marsh as compatriots to have matched the feat.
The international record for most runs from one T20I over came last month when Samoa's Darius Visser smashed 39 from one over against Vanuatu.
There have been five previous occasions in men's T20I where 36 runs have been taken from one over including Yuvraj Singh's famous effort at the 2007 edition of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup.
Australia take 1-0 lead against England in 3 match T20I series
Travis Head's carnanage in the opening overs looked to keep Australia on track for a score in excess of 200, but Liam Livingstone applied the breaks with figures of 3/22. Australia were eventually bowled out for 179 runs.
Veteran seamer Josh Hazlewood (2/32) bowled well for Australia with the new ball and Adam Zampa (2/20) and Sean Abbott (3/28) followed suit as England provided little resistance and fell well short of the winning target.
