Australia batter Travis Head has played down talks of opening the innings in Test cricket after David Warner's retirement. The latter is set to play his last Test series against Pakistan and many reckoned Head to replace him but the left-hander feels opening in red-ball cricket is a specialist's job and that he is happy with middle-order role in the longest format.
Interestingly, Head had opened the innings earlier this year against India in three Tests amassing 233 runs at an average of 55.75. However, Cameron Bancroft, Matthew Renshaw and Marcus Harris are competing to replace Warner at the top of the order. All three batters featured for Prime Minister's XI against Pakistan in the recent four-day game. Renshaw was the star in that game smashing a superb ton. Coming back to Head, he stated that even the selectors are happy with his middle-order in the whites.
"The (selectors are) happy with me in the middle order. 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," Head said ahead of Australia's Test series against Pakistan. The left-handed batter is enjoying a brilliant run of form with the bat this year having played match-winning knocks in World Test Champions Final and semi-final and final of the World Cup in India.
But he was also part of the much-criticised India vs Australia T20I series that took place right after the World Cup. "I'm not a lock for that T20 World Cup, so I wanted to be 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 (rather than in the Sheffield 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," Head added.
