Happy If Thats Whats Needed To Win: Head Ready To Open Again In Khawajas Absence
The West Australian: Australia's Travis Head said that hes more than willing to remain at the top of the order after his blistering century in the first Ashes Test. His remarks come as questions linger over Usman Khawajas fitness and long-term place in the national side. Head, Australias established No. 5 for much of the past four years, stepped in as opener during the second innings in Perth when Khawaja was sidelined with back spasms. He responded with a superb 123 off 83 balls, driving Australia to a rapid chase of 205 and a 10 series lead ahead of Thursdays Test at the Gabba. Khawaja, who turns 39 next month, has been named in the 14-man squad and insists he is confident of being available. But with only one century and an average of 31.84 over the past two years, his spot is far from assured. Head said his role for the next Test had not yet been defined, but added that he is comfortable with whatever responsibility hes given, including another stint at the top. I'm happy. If that's what is needed to win a Test match and if that's what's required then, yeah, I'm fine with it. 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 was quoted as saying by The West Australian. Australia coach Andrew McDonald revealed after the Perth Test that the team had even floated the idea of rotating their opening pair between innings, a tactic Head says he would willingly embrace. Head explained that the concept has been on the table for some time. We've talked about that a lot: how you get there, and what personnel we have to be able to potentially do that and the personalities in the line-up, he said. Australia coach Andrew McDonald revealed after the Perth Test that the team had even floated the idea of rotating their opening pair between innings, a tactic Head says he would willingly embrace. Also Read: Live Cricket Score 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. It's always been on the table, Head added. Article Source: IANS
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