WTC Final: Day 1 Post-match Press Conference Australia Transcript
[Reporter:]
Travis congratulations. You're the first batter to score a century in a World Test Championship final. How does that feel like? Your name is etched in the history books with this great knock and you’ve put Australia ahead.
[Travis Head:]
Yeah, losing the toss this morning I thought it was going to be a challenging day probably – the score probably doesn’t reflect that. I feel like the wicket did a fair bit. There first throughout the next 4 days, so yeah – personally nice to contribute. Nice to get the tour off to a nice start.
[Reporter:]
Just about pacing of the innings, that’s been a narrative around your batting throughout your Test career. Do you think you’ve just got it right finally – you're still attacking but you're still keeping the good balls out and you're still scoring quickly.
[Travis Head:]
Yeah, I've said in the lead in – if runs are presented, if balls are presented to score off of – I'm looking to score off it and anything between trying to my best ability to stay out there and I felt like there was moments of that today. There were some challenging periods and some periods where – I've played a few championship games here but the ball gets to the boundary pretty quickly if you find the middle of the bat and that was the theme of the start of my innings – yeah, just playing within myself and trying to find the middle of the bat. I felt like it was challenging in the right areas and you can hit a gap and get away. I guess the scoreboard moved in that middle session.
[Reporter:]
Trevor you enjoy coming to England, were there things that you felt that you need to change in how you batted over here from 2019?
[Travis Head:]
I think technically I've made those changes not just for England but for all round, I feel like there's certain parts of the game that you adapt in each condition that you go to. That’s the same going anywhere, but the foundations that are set in my technique have definitely changed a lot since 2019 and I felt like coming here I was in a better place, and you're never guaranteed anything. So yeah – nice to prepare well. nice to have the last couple of weeks over here and preparing and getting ready for what was to come and it’s a nice start to the summer.
[Reporter:]
What is your reading of the pitch and how do you look at the decision of winning the toss and fielding first?
[Travis Head:]
I'm not sure, I think we were going to do the same thing, I don’t get too involved in that kind of stuff but I believe we were going to bowl as well. definitely if you get it in the right area there's plenty there and I think as we see, the runs are on and off here and if you're in the right area its challenging – so I think as the game goes on hopefully it gets a little bit quicker for us and we can find the right lengths and right areas to bowl and feel like if you can do that consistently for a long period of time it can be a challenging wicket.
[Reporter:]
What was the hardest part about batting – was it the pitch – pitch wise was it the ones that were occasionally flyer for length? There were a few that stayed down or did they flatten out and quicken up as the day went on?
[Travis Head:]
I wouldn’t say flattened or quickened up, I think we see in the second new ball was challenging work as well, but yeah that was hard work and then as they went in that short pitch playing, yeah it wasn’t the most consistent wicket and obviously with the duke swing a little bit, it made for some awkward moments, but I felt like they were going to come out throughout the day if we were able to bat for long periods of time and yeah the wickets were a lot different to Australia. They're always a touch on the slower side, as the game goes on hopefully they quicken up a little bit, we find the right areas and we can create opportunities.
[Reporter:]
How much do you think the changes in your game have been psychological? Do you feel like you're playing a more uncluttered game? You're more certain about what you're doing than you might have been doing previously?
[Travis Head:]
Yeah, I just think it comes with experience. Trying to get as many learnings and understand the game and I feel like I've done that over a longer period of time now and yeah, I'm in a nice little period of my life I guess as well off field. Yeah, they're just all merging into clarity and consistency and that's what we've asked for as a team. It's a very enjoyable team to play for. Obviously, I like to enjoy myself. We all know the right moments to do that, the right moments to knuckle down. I feel like it just plays really nicely into my game and the environment that I like to play under and what's being created. So yeah, I think I've flourished under this environment but also technically and everything in part of my game, the ownership around my own game, people I have around me. I think as you go on your career, turning 30 this year, you go through periods and I'll fall back on them and I feel like I'm in a nice position in all round.
[Reporter:]
Can you talk us over the partnership with Steve Smith and he's of course a senior person and has been playing the counter-cricket as well. What was the talk during the partnership?
[Travis Head:]
Yeah, we don't talk too much. I've always said that I do really enjoy batting with Steve because of how much attention he receives, obviously. One of the best players in the world, one of our best, probably our best player. He's our best batter and unbelievable in these conditions and he receives so much attention from the opposition in terms of plans and how difficult it is to bowl to. So I always felt like I've always said going out to bat with him, it feels like you're in the shadow of that and you can sort of sneak under the radar and go about your business because he's drawn so much attention. So it felt like that again today, it felt like he wasn't going to leave anywhere, he wasn't going to go anywhere. He was at the other end and sort of got in that rhythm and just went about business. A lot of balls that he may play or play out is a lot different to me so I think we complement each other completely differently but in the partnership it works really nicely.
[Reporter:]
You saw him pretty closely in 2019, what he did over here. Did it feel like it was the same determination or was it just mercilessness, what are the ways, against him and just hit that zone today to what he did four years ago against England?
[Travis Head:]
I felt like his prep's been like that. He loves batting over here. He played county championship, I felt like there was moments where he probably could have got a couple of big scores there, a few things didn't go his way - but he prepared well. It seems like he's in a great space, I know how much he loves the environment over here, playing over here. He plays beautifully and so it's nice to see him in the runs and hopefully many more tomorrow.
[Reporter:]
Congratulations after a fair bit of chopping and changing, do you finally feel as though you're secure in the 11 at this point?
[Travis Head:]
Yeah, I felt like that for a period of time. I know certain decisions haven't gone my way in the past but yeah I felt like I got a fair bit of contribute to this team and valued within the team and that doesn't always guarantee playing. But the squad of guys that we've got, I've always felt like that for a couple of years now. But selection's not going to go your way sometimes but entrenched within the Australian cricket team that I've got the backing of the staff and the captain and the players so it's nice.
[Reporter:]
In the last couple of years, you've played a selection of these innings where the team score has maybe been a bit 50-50 when you've come in, three down for not many, five down not many. Is that a situation you feel you thrive on now? Do you enjoy that chance to shape the game?
[Travis Head:]
It just comes naturally, I think. Yeah these moments where it's been the platform set or not, I guess my job is to go out and try and be as consistent as I can be. Like I said be positive around a scoring approach, I feel like I play my best game that way and if that lends it being three for ten or three for 300 it's going out and trying to apply the same method and doing it the best of my ability.
[Reporter:]
How pleasing was it for you to finally crack, getting a century overseas? Obviously your previous ones have all come in Australia leading into a big series, an Ashes series as well. How nice to come off the plane and crack 100 on foreign soil?
[Travis Head:]
It's nice, I probably missed a chance in India a couple of months ago but honestly yeah I think I've had a couple of 90s in the past without getting a 100 so it doesn't bother me too much. I just want to contribute, play well. That lends to 100s, if it lends to just match winning scores it honestly doesn't faze me the slightest. I know in the future it will come down to stats, it's a stats based game and everyone will go back to look at that but yeah it honestly doesn't faze me. I just want to play well. Obviously this week is hugely important for us over the last two years and however hard we worked but we're moving into an Ashes series and if it's a low scoring series I just want to contribute. If it's a high - and that may not generate 100s it doesn't faze me. All you can do is be around your peers and what the peers do around you and try to excel at that and we'll see where that leads us over the next six weeks but yeah obviously nice to wear a nice feather in the cap and we'll look back in the future and it's a nice little moment.
[Reporter:]
You mentioned missing out in India, has that been an extra driving force for you perhaps coming over here?
[Travis Head:]
No, that honestly doesn't faze me. I'm very privileged to be where I am and do what I do and play cricket for Australia. Like I said before, we've got a squad of guys, a very strong squad of guys on the contract list. It's actually not going to go away, it hasn't in the past. So yeah, that's out of my control. All I can do is try and be as consistent as I can be on the field, off the field, enjoy myself. It's a bloody enjoyable team to play under and play with. Yes I love to play every single test match, that's not always going to be the case. I think that gives you good perspective to moments like this and the lead up and the prep to be as relaxed as you can. Hopefully I don't get dropped too much in the future but it's going to inevitably happen so it doesn't bother me. Doesn't give any extra fuel if that makes sense.