NEW DELHI: Travis Head's blitz in Perth, which helped Australia secure an emphatic eight-wicket victory over England inside just two days in the first Ashes Test, has left Cricket Australia facing a potential financial loss.
Travis Head turned England's aggressive "Bazball" approach against them, smashing a rapid century off just 69 balls after being promoted to open the innings following Usman Khawaja's injury.
Chasing a modest target of 205, Head tore through the bowling, scoring 123 from 83 deliveries. He dispatched the ball to all corners of the ground, hitting the boundary 16 times and clearing it on four occasions. Australian media noted that this marked the first Ashes Test to be won in just two days since 1921.
According to a report in The Guardian, Cricket Australia is expected to face an estimated loss of over AUD 3 million in ticket revenue for days three and four. The first two days of the match saw a record attendance, with a total of 101,514 fans turning up - 51,531 on Friday and 49,983 on Saturday.
This attendance broke the previous record of 96,463 set in Perth last year, when India clinched the Border-Gavaskar Trophy opener in four days. Day three of the Test between Australia and England was sold out, a fact that led Head to apologise to the fans after his whirlwind century effectively dashed England's hopes.
"Feel sorry for the people who can't come tomorrow. I think it was a full house again," he told the Seven Network after the match.
Under Cricket Australia's refund policy, anyone holding single-day Test tickets for cancelled days is eligible for a full refund.
Head said in his post-match TV interview that he was "not even close" to processing the magnitude of his innings. "I thought that was the right process, right way of thinking, go out there and see what happens," he said of his approach to the situation, "and it's worked today."
