Regular opener Usman Khawaja has retained his spot for the day-night Ashes Test, despite not being able to bat in his customary position in Perth, but Travis Head is ready to keep doing the job after his match-winning century in the series opener.
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Back spasms forced Khawaja, who turns 39 very soon, to spend a lot of time off the field in Perth, and couldn’t open the batting in either inning. Marnus Labuschagne was pushed up the order in the first essay while Head played a swashbuckling hand as Australia chased down 205 in a little more than 28 overs in the fourth innings, leaving England skipper Ben Stokes “shell-shocked”.
Head has had a lot of success in Tests at No.5 but opens in white-ball cricket. Khawaja has said that he “should be right” to play in the second Test starting on Thursday, but has not been given any assurance about his spot in the playing XI. He averages 31.84 over the last two years with a solitary century. Head, meanwhile, is open to a place at the top of the order.
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“I’m happy. If that’s what is needed to win a Test match, I’m fine with it,” he told reporters as the Australian squad assembled for its first training session ahead of the Brisbane pink-ball Test.
“I’m preparing for anything at this stage… There’s a fair bit to work through. I’ve just got here. We haven’t really had many conversations over the last week. It’s been about just spending some time out of the game as much as you can. You don’t get much time to chill out in a massive series like this, where it’s pretty full-on every single day.”
Head argued that batting orders were “slightly overrated”.
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“We’ve seen it in red-ball [Tests] but particularly probably pink-ball [Tests] as well. Non-traditional stuff, with double nightwatchmen, how you use orders, and how you use players in certain situations. It’s ever-evolving, and we’ll see where we get to,” the left-hander said.
“I think you could use this order and these players in a range of different ways and whatever ways that is to win games of cricket.”
Head coach Andrew McDonald has said that every choice will be considered.
“All options are on the table and have been for a long period of time about where this team can potentially get better, and where there’s opportunities to potentially win games of cricket in moments,” McDonald had said after the Perth Test.
