Travis Head just shut up the critics

The first person on Travis Head’s Christmas card list for 2020 might just be MCG curator Matthew Page.

If not for Page’s work on the MCG surface, Head may not have been in the final XI for Australia’s 2019 Boxing Day Test against New Zealand.

With Justin Langer floating the possibility of Australia playing five bowlers, Head’s position in the line-up was far from certain, as uncapped quick Michael Neser’s case continued to be pushed.

A touch of green on the wicket saved Head, who may have been heading to the Gold Coast to play for the Adelaide Strikers if it loomed as being another MCG highway.

The left hander looked far more certain with his capabilities than he has been in the series, cutting and driving his way to three figures for just the second time in his Test match career.

After resuming on day two, Head made it through the bouncer barrage from Neil Wagner, combining in a partnership worth over 100 with captain Tim Paine.

Australia’s vice-captain has scored seven half-centuries from 16 matches, with his control on Friday suggesting there is going to be plenty of Head for years to come - with former England captain Michael Vaughan even explaining he had bigger leadership capabilities.

“[Travis Head is] a potential future Australia captain,” Vaughan said on Fox Cricket. “He’s got leadership potential. He just needs to get lots of runs, lots of hundreds.

“If he does that over the next year or so, when Tim Paine steps aside he could be the next Australian captain.

“He’s got runs pretty much wherever he’s gone. He’s just got to get to that Smith, Labuschagne mode of getting hundreds on a regular basis.”

Dhaka/Mukul