Australia opener Travis Head replicated his explosive form from IPL 2024 with Sunrisers Hyderabad to help Australia chase down 155 in just 58 balls during the opening T20I against Scotland at the Grange Cricket Club in Edinburgh on Wednesday. This dominant seven-wicket win gave Australia a 1-0 lead in the series and shattered a T20I world record.
Although Jake Fraser-McGurk, making his debut after an impressive Big Bash League and IPL season, was dismissed for a three-ball duck, Head, alongside captain Mitchell Marsh, powered Australia with a 113-run partnership inside the powerplay. This partnership laid the foundation for the chase, with Josh Inglis and Marcus Stoinis finishing the game in just 9.4 overs.
Australia’s chase, completed with 62 balls to spare, set a new T20I record for the fastest chase of a 150+ target, surpassing Romania’s 2021 record when they chased down 158 against Greece in 12.5 overs. Australia also recorded the second-highest powerplay score in T20I history, smashing 113 runs, including 14 consecutive boundaries.
Highest Powerplay Scores in T20I History:
- Romania: 116/0 in 5.4 overs vs Serbia (2021)
- Australia: 113/1 vs Scotland (2024)
- South Africa: 102/0 vs West Indies (2023)
- West Indies: 98/4 vs Sri Lanka (2021)
- West Indies: 93/0 vs Ireland (2020)
Head was named Player of the Match for his outstanding knock of 80 from just 25 balls, including 12 boundaries and five sixes, at an incredible strike rate of 320. His 73 runs in the first six overs set a new record for the highest score by a batter inside the powerplay in T20I cricket, surpassing Paul Stirling’s 67 off 25 balls for Ireland in 2020.
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Head also broke the record for most boundaries inside a powerplay, hitting 16 and surpassing Colin Munro’s previous record of 14 against the West Indies in 2018.