Watch: Andre Russell breaks Travis Head’s bat in half with fiery throw

West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell broke Travis Head’s bat with a magnificent delivery during a Major League Cricket (MLC) match in Morrisville on Monday. Head opened the innings for Washington Freedom after the Los Angeles Knight Riders set a target of 130. In the second over of the chase, Russell bowled a short-pitched delivery to Head who attempted a pull shot but was unable to time it properly. The ball struck the upper part of the Australian batsman’s willow, breaking it into two pieces.

Head was clearly stunned after part of his bat flew to the mid-wicket region. Some in the crowd were also shocked by the on-field incident and their reaction was captured in a now viral post on X (formerly Twitter).

Travis Head completed his innings as the highest scorer for Washington Freedom, who won the lowest-scoring match by eight wickets to extend their unbeaten run in the tournament. Head opened alongside captain Steven Smith and the Australian duo stitched together a 79-run partnership. Head scored a quickfire 54 from 32 balls. The left-hander hit six maximums and two boundaries before being dismissed by Shadley van Schalkwyk.

After the victory was sealed, Travis Head said: “Was (pitch) on the slow side and took more spin than in previous games. Nice to get a few out and nice to win. Nice to play the whole match. Nice to get a bit of luck and get away, nice to get a few out of the middle. Good to maximise when Smithy and I went. Looking forward to the rest of the tournament,” as quoted by The Times of India.

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As Travis Head returned to the dressing room in the ninth over, Steven Smith remained unbeaten till the end, hitting two boundaries and as many sixes to score 42 runs from 36 balls. For the Washington Freedom, Rachin Ravindra and wicketkeeper Andries Gous contributed 11 and 15 runs respectively.

Washington Freedom currently lead the MLC standings with seven points from four games. The Steven Smith-led team will look to continue their winning momentum when they face MI New York in their next match on July 17 in Texas.

As Travis Head returned to the dressing room in the ninth over, Steven Smith remained unbeaten till the end, hitting two boundaries and as many sixes to score 42 runs from 36 balls. For the Washington Freedom, Rachin Ravindra and wicketkeeper Andries Gous contributed 11 and 15 runs respectively.

Washington Freedom currently lead the MLC standings with seven points from four games. The Steven Smith-led team will look to continue their winning momentum when they face MI New York in their next match on July 17 in Texas.