Perth, Australia
Star Australia batter Travis Head has turned down the chance to take up the opening slot once David Warner hangs his boots, saying it’s a specialist job and several contenders are vying for it. Speaking to the media ahead of the first Test against Pakistan in Perth, starting December 14, Head said he is happy batting in the middle order, with chances of him rotating are less in future.
Australia head coach Andrew McDonald hinted that replacing Warner might not come down to a like-for-like replacement, with Cameron Green’s name coming up as a contender. Although no final name has come up yet, anyone of Marcus Harris, Cameron Bancroft and Matthew Renshaw will take up the vacant slot.
Meanwhile, Travis Head had replaced Warner at the top during the Test series in India earlier this year, faring decent, averaging 55.75 across five innings.
ALSO READ: ‘Bulky’ Rohit Sharma is among the fittest cricketers, says India’s strength and conditioning coach
"[Selectors are] happy with me in the middle order," Head told reporters in Perth.
"I think [opening] it's a specialist job. The guys that have been waiting to get into the team for a while deserve the first crack at it. But the conversations are ongoing with everyone...only one for me is [opening in] the subcontinent. I don't see myself moving around too much in the future,” he added.
Not locked in for 2024 T20 World Cup
Having succeeded as a batter across formats in the past year, Head feels he is still not locked in for next year’s T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA.
Following the 2023 World Cup winning campaign, where he stood out in the final against India, hitting a marvellous 137, Head stayed back for the T20I series, which India won 4-1. Though he didn’t feature in the first two games, Head showcased his T20 skill in the remaining three matches, pressing his case for a spot in the team for the marquee event.
“I'm not a lock for that T20 World Cup, so I wanted to present and try to perform and try and get myself in that team. We felt like that was the greater opportunity to play the three T20s [than Shield].”
“We haven't got many T20 opportunities coming up over the next little bit, so it was sort of that last chance to press my claims to make sure that I'm in the mix,” he added.
Speaking about the training session and the pitch for the first Test, Head said, "Pretty average yesterday...wicket is trickier.”
"Nothing really changes from my side of things, I want to be positive. I want to be aggressive, but take the right percentages,” the left-handed batter concluded.