Australian middle order batsman Travis Head was all praise for fellow teammate Steve Smith who marked his Test comeback with twin tons in the first Ashes Test against England at Edgbaston.
"It's fantastic to bat in a partnership with him," gushed Head who recorded scores of 35 and 51. "He sucks the momentum out of the opposition with his batting. I was glad to be with him in this game. Nice to get a couple of good partnerships."
"Happy with the way I started off," Head remarked. "Obviously disappointing not to go on in the first innings. I was a bit flat about leaving Smith at that time (in the first innings). Fortunately, the tail were able to stay with him. Frustrating to not be able to go on to make a big one but it felt good to get that partnership in the second innings. The way I've been able to start in both the innings, I guess I've been able to adapt to the conditions."
"Him at the other end obviously takes pressure off me because they're trying hard to get him out and I was glad to be away from the radar. Hopefully a lot more batting to do in the remaining four Tests together. I know I can get into a rhythm with him at the other end. I know he isn't going anywhere."
"We spoke about it, we didn't mind going for wickets but the key was to consolidate and keep the scoreboard quiet," he pointed out. "We knew that if we were able to do that, there would be enough deliveries in the good areas to create opportunities. I think the thought will be same for the whole series. It's about minimizing how much they score, sometimes it can be defensive but it's about holding onto the chances. I think we had a good mix between picking wickets and containing the scoreboard."
"Very fortunate to have Steve at the other end," Head said. "He's one of the best players of spin. I definitely didn't have the plan of going after him (Moeen) as it's harder for left-handers. I was just making sure that I was staying in. Wadey obviously has the reverse sweep, so he really put some pressure on him. He batted really beautifully. For left-handers, it was really tough throughout the Test match."
"I think we scored beautifully against all the bowlers, It was an unbelievable day (on day 4). I don't think anyone came to the ground thinking that we could do what we did. In the dressing room, we were confident but not to the extent of the runs we ended up scoring. With the trend of the three days prior, the way the game was going, and to have a day like that just put us in a beautiful position."
"Definitely felt the buzz out there when they were charging in on day one," he said. "Same again on day four. It was special. It's always nice to take it in. I was trying to do what I had to and not getting up and down emotionally." The South Australian also chose to see the brighter side of things, given the dreary nature of Test match cricket.
"The crowds were good. There was some banter but I think the guys took it all in good spirit.They (crowd) did sing a catchy couple of tunes. They kept changing stuff during the five days of the game. Sometimes it can be really lonely near the boundary, so it was fun to watch them go about it, some good costumes too."
"I'm looking forward to the game. Missed a chance to play there during the A tour. Might be a similar type of wicket, quite slow and quite good for batting. I think they'll field a pretty strong team. I think they're in the midst of One-Day cricket but they've got a few guys who're more suited to red-ball cricket than white-ball cricket. They've got a split divide in that. Their bowling side should be used to red-ball cricket."
