Whatever the rights and wrongs of the cause of Usman Khawaja’s back problems in Perth, or the criticism he subsequently received, there is no doubt his injury was crucial to the destination of the urn.
Australia had been looking for an opener for almost two years, unaware one was hiding in plain sight. Head’s promotion to replace Khawaja in the second innings in Perth was a big bang moment, one that Ben Stokes said left him “shellshocked”. England never recovered.
Head stayed at the top of the order, made two more tons, was the highest run-scorer in the series and was on the front page of the Herald Sun newspaper on Christmas Eve. Bazball was no match for Travball.
