Consider that Head faced 40 balls for his man-of-the-match 79, which condemned the Hobart Hurricanes to a seventh loss in 10 matches, is probably impressive enough.

But 56 of those brutal runs only required 11 balls.

Caressed or whacked, they reached the boundary one way or another.

"It was really just about being busy," Head said.

"Not trying to take too much risk until I felt settled.

"I felt like there was a bowler I could go after so we set that platform like they did, but we went a bit earlier.

"So with the confidence that we have in our middle and late order, I always felt like we could go a bit earlier and get that big score."

Even the Australian Test middle-order batsman had been surprised how well he went on a strip that only had its final touches put on some days before Christmas.

A revamped playing arena that cost in total $3.5 million to perfect the drainage and irrigation system got the tick of approval from the epitome of an Adelaide Oval virtuoso.

The fact that the Strikers could set the home side 187 - they chased down 170 to win in the corresponding game last year - came to light 90 minutes later when it was the Hurricanes' turn to bat.

They only fell 11 short after 90 not out from David Miller.

It was the first audition for UTAS Stadium after the Hurricanes' battle three weeks earlier with Melbourne Stars was inundated with rain all night in a start-stop affair.

"I thought we were way over par," Head said.

ELSEWHERE IN SPORT

"I felt Scott Boland bowled beautifully at the start.

"There was that tackiness that the ball was holding just a tad and that's why we first started with the quicks.

"The plan initially was to get a couple of spin overs out early, but having seen Clive [Rose] bowl the first over, it seemed that pace was more difficult at the start.

"I felt we got off to a great start whereas they batted nicely through the back end of it instead.

"So, I think they did extremely well to get that close.

"They gave themselves a good platform to go hard at the end and it was difficult with the dimensions of the ground to defend."

Head came to the wicket when Phil Salt departed and he watched Jake Weatherald head the same way early.

But that didn't phase the 26-year-old's serious intent.

Not three games in after a nervy start making the transition back from a five-Test summer amid a like-for-like swap for Australian one-day wicketkeeper Alex Carey.

Head said he felt an obligation to take the lead.

"I definitely felt the pressure of coming in because Carey has just been going beautifully," he said.

"I made sure I didn't have that lag period when I missed the mark coming back from a big summer for Australia.

"I wanted to make sure I started really well - I was quite nervous about that.

"It's nice to get the runs [on Sunday] - I felt like I have been playing really well and starting really well."

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