Australian southpaw Travis Head's ove-affair with India continued as he smashed a sensational 137 in the final of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 to lift the trophy for the sixth time for the men from Down Under. Head along with Marnus Labuschagne stitched a 192-run partnership to take the Men In Yellow towards the coveted trophy. (Highlights | Scorecard | Full Coverage)
Talking after the match, Head revealed it was an amazing day. He said, "Not in a million years did I think that would happen [being man of the match today and in the World Test Championship final]. What an amazing day. I'm just thrilled to be a part of it.
"It is a lot better than being sat on the couch at home! I'm very lucky that everything went well and I was able to get back and the support that the boys showed, I didn't think this would happen. I was nervous in the first 20 balls but Marnus [Labuschagne] batted brilliantly and it is great to bat with him. It was an amazing partnership."
Head also attributed Mitchell Marsh's attacking display that set the tone for the Aussies in their run-chase of 241. "I felt the way that Mitch Marsh came on and took the game on, he set the tone. We knew the wicket might get tough but it turned out to be a great decision to bowl first because the pitch did get better as the day went on. What we did at the toss paid dividends. Nice to be a part of it and play a role. It will be a good few days now.
Head's contribution came on the field as well when he took a brilliant diving catch of Rohit Sharma in the early part of the innings. Talking about the catch, Head said, "Rohit Sharma was probably the unluckiest man in the world! I do work hard on my catching but I couldn't imagine holding onto that. It is a nice thing I'll be able to look back on later in my life."
Australia has now won a record-extending sixth World Cup title, stretching their dominance in the tournament that started way back in 1975.
