Travis Head misses 'special' feeling, may open in 3rd Ashes Test

Australian batter Travis Head says he misses opening in Test cricket, hinting he may partner Jake Weatherald again for the third Ashes Test in Adelaide. This move could potentially keep an injured Usman Khawaja out of the playing XI.

Australian batter Travis Head said he misses the feeling of walking out alone to bat in Test cricket -- a comment that hints he may once again partner Jake Weatherald for opening in the third Ashes Test in Adelaide, potentially leaving Usman Khawaja out, as per The Sydney Morning Herald. With Khawaja sidelined by a back injury sustained during the first Test in Perth -- which also kept him out of the second match in Brisbane -- Head and Weatherald have formed a strong pairing, averaging 63 across their three opening stands.

Head on the 'Special' Feeling of Opening

Speaking on the Willow Talk podcast, as quoted by The Sydney Morning Herald, Travis Head said he misses the experience of walking out to bat as an opener, a moment he described as special. "The only thing about opening the batting is I miss walking out by myself. Alex [Carey] gets to enjoy that because they are very supportive [in Adelaide] and it's always a great moment that one, walking out to bat," Head told Willow Talk.

Head added that if he opens with Jake Weatherald again, they'll represent South Australia, and he expects the crowd to be excited to see them bat together, with Carey making his usual appearance at number six. "If I am doing it [opening the batting] this week again with Jake, we'll claim him as a South Australian. He came in at an early age, so I think the crowd will be very pumped up to see both of us go out to bat and 'Kez' will get the little carpet appearance at [number] six," Head said.

'Some Bloody Hard Calls'

Head said that as the team moves to Adelaide, changes will be made to try and win the Test. He acknowledged that some players will be disappointed not to play, but praised Steve Smith, the coaching staff and selectors for making tough yet clear decisions. "We move to Adelaide and the team will look different again to try and win an Adelaide Test. Everyone is committed to the one cause. We can't play 15 blokes. They're filthy if they don't play. There's no hiding around that. There's some bloody hard calls, there's no doubt about that. [Stand-in captain] Steve [Smith] and the coaching staff and the selectors have made some tough calls in the first two Tests, but when you map it out the way they do ... it makes those decisions really easy," he added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)