travis head sent him a surprising warning cricket In the Indian Premier League, Sunrisers Hyderabad displayed an incredible batting performance against their rivals ahead of the T20 World Cup. It was the perfect birthday present for Head's teammates. Test captain Pat CumminsIn the opening game for SRH, he stunned the cricketing world by scoring an astonishing 89 not out in just 30 balls and defeating Lucknow Super Giants.
Head batted eight sixes and eight fours in an exceptional innings, with opening partner Abhishek Sharma teeing off at the other end and an equally impressive 75 off 28 balls. Thanks to some fireworks from the first pair, Sunrisers trailed Lucknow Super Giants at 4-165 in less than half of the allotted 20 overs.
A stunning unbeaten 167-run opening stand took just 9.4 overs to seal victory for SRH with 62 balls to spare at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. This is the biggest gap in a chase of over 150 runs in IPL history. SRH's total of 167 runs is also the highest score by a team after 10 overs in men's T20 history.
The big win was the perfect 31st birthday present for Cummins and his Sunrisers team, cementing their third spot on the ladder and boosting their playoff hopes. Defeated Lucknow captain KL Rahul admitted after the match that he had just witnessed something completely unbelievable as he was simply amazed at Head and Sharma's masterclass. “I was speechless. I was watching that batting on TV and it was unreal,” the Lucknow captain said of the Hyderabad opener. “Everything hit the middle of the bat. Kudos to their skill. They worked very hard on their six hits.”
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Cricket world loses its place as Travis Head stars in record-breaking scenes
Head's latest masterclass saw him finish third in the IPL run-scoring charts this season, scoring a staggering 533 runs at an average of 53.30 and a strike rate of 201.89. And Cummins echoed the sentiments of fans around the world, marveling at his Australian teammates' incredible ball-striking ability. “Certainly, it doesn't surprise me anymore,” Cummins said of Head. “He's been this way for the last few years. He may not be super unconventional, but he's got a great eye, he hits the middle of the bat well, and he's had a great tournament.”
– 167 runs in 9.4 overs.
– 89*(39) Written by Travis Head.
– 75*(28) Written by Abhishek Sharma.
– 16 fours.
– 14 Six.
– Fastest 150+ run chase in IPL.
– Most runs in 10 overs in T20 history.– The craziest head and Abhishek batting in Chase history..!!!! 🤯 pic.twitter.com/jbhj4WBszn
— Tanuj Singh (@ImTanujSingh) May 8, 2024
Travis Head – 89* (30).
Abhishek – 75* (28).SRH chased down 166 in just 9.4 overs, making it the craziest chase in history. 🤯🔥 pic.twitter.com/XUJtmFXAwy
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) May 8, 2024
Doing this crazy thing for one or two games is fine, but doing it consistently throughout the season is beyond crazy. Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma are the scariest opening pair 🫡 pic.twitter.com/7yi4uaknn6
— Ratnish (@LoyalSachinFan) May 8, 2024
Travis Head on fire for T20 World Cup
There were ominous signs of form ahead of next month's T20 World Cup in America and the Caribbean, but Head smashed 22 off Krishnappa Gowtham's two overs and Naveen Al Haq for six. After sending them off with 24 runs, they got even better in the 5th over. delivery. In a brutal display of hard hitting, Head crossed the half-century mark in just 16 balls.
“It was very, very fun,” Head said with a smile about batting in the game. “In the last 12 months since I've been back in the Australian team, they've wanted me to play like that. I'm not trying to change anything, just trying to get the most out of that power play. It doesn't always work out, but that's what I do.'' I try to be as consistent as possible and give myself the best opportunity and hopefully do my part for the team. I think”
Sunrisers are currently in a good position to qualify for the play-offs, with Hyderabad in third place with 14 points, and their net run rate has improved significantly with the big win. Lucknow, coached by Justin Langer, are currently sixth in the table and face a tough battle to qualify for the play-offs, despite the early exit of Marcus Stoinis with his third loss.