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Australia opener Travis Head continued his prolific run with the bat in the ongoing 5th Test of the Ashes 2025-26 against England at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) in Sydney. Head slammed a brilliant knock of 163 runs in his side's first innings to put Australia in a strong position in the final Test match of the five-match series, which the hosts have already won with an unassailable 3-1 lead.
Head notched up his hundred during Australia's first innings in the morning session on Day 3 of the Test match. It was his third century in the series and his first at the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground. Head earlier slammed match-winning knocks for Australia in Perth and Adelaide to help them record three straight victories in the series.
Head's 163-run knock in Sydney was laced with 24 fours and a solitary six as he once again turned out to be a nightmare for the England bowlers in the series. The left-hander added 57 runs for the first wicket with his opening partner Jake Weatherald, before sharing a crucial stand of 105 runs for the 2nd wicket with Marnus Labuschagne, who played a valuable knock of 48 runs.
Head also shared an important stand of 72 runs for the third wicket with night watchman Michael Neser, who made a vital contribution of 24 runs. With his magnificent ton, Head equalled the record for the most centuries by an opener in an Ashes series. He joined an elite list of batters featuring the likes of Matthew Hayden, Alastair Cook and Michael Slater, among others.
Head became the 11th player to score three centuries in an Ashes series, the joint-most by an opener. Head is only the seventh Australian to have scored three centuries as an opener in an Ashes series. He is the first Aussie opener to score three hundreds in an Ashes series since Matthew Hayden in 2002-03.
No Australian opener has managed more than three centuries in a series, and Head has a chance to script history if he can notch up another ton in Australia's 2nd innings of the 5th Test at the SCG.
| PLAYER | YEAR | VENUE | INNINGS | RUNS | 100s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Darling | 1897-98 | Australia | 8 | 537 | 3 |
| Bill Woodful | 1928-29 | Australia | 9 | 456 | 3 |
| Arthur Morris | 1946-47 | Australia | 8 | 503 | 3 |
| Arthur Morris | 1948 | England | 9 | 696 | 3 |
| Bill Lawry | 1965-66 | Australia | 7 | 592 | 3 |
| Michael Slater | 1994-95 | Australia | 10 | 623 | 3 |
| Michael Slater | 1997-98 | Australia | 10 | 460 | 3 |
| Matthew Hayden | 2002-03 | Australia | 8 | 496 | 3 |
| Travis Head | 2025-26 | Australia | 8 | 547* | 3 |
Thanks to Head's splendid 163-run knock and an unbeaten half-century from Steve Smith, Australia managed to breach England's first-innings total of 384 runs and amass a lead in their first innings on Day 3 of the 5th Test at the SCG on Tuesday. Australia went past the 400-run mark in the first innings during the final session on Day 3 with Smith edging closer to his ton.
