Travis Head Eyes to Impress Selectors in Sheffield Shield for Ashes Berth

Jan 13, 2019 at 4:22 PM

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Travis Head Eyes to Impress Selectors in Sheffield Shield for Ashes Berth

Australian batsman Travis Head is further looking forward to impress Cricket Australia (CA) national selectors in the early rounds of the impending JLT Sheffield Shield first-class domestic season – to book his seat for the Test debut.

Struggling on the subcontinent conditions, Head is eyeing for the blockbuster season, as three rounds of the Shield will culminate until the start of the first Test in Brisbane from November 23.

“I don’t think anyone in the team will be thinking about the No.6 spot (Test) or whatever spot in the Australian cricket,” Head was quoted as saying by Cricket Australia while breaking to the media ahead of third Twenty20.

JLT Sheffield Shield 2017-18, Cricket Australia, Ashes Berth,
Head was the Player of the Year in 2015-16 season, who amassed 645 runs at an average of 43. Photo Credit: Getty Images.

The premium six-team tournament will be beginning from October 26 at Gabba in Brisbane and is bound to run through 23 March, 2018.

Head will be leading South Australia in the four-day competition and the 23-year-old Adelaide-born has earned a grand opportunity to press the claims for the Magellan Ashes.

“The selectors have been pretty open and said the blokes who are in form and are getting runs (will be in contention),” Head added.

The South Australia side will face against New South Wales-led Moises Henriques at home-base at Adelaide Oval on October 27.

“You want to play against the best team and they’re the best team in the country at full strength,” Head maintained.

India Vs Australia, Hyderabad, Ashes Berth, Travis Head, Australia Vs England,
Head made his international debut against India at Adelaide in January 2016. Photo Credit: BCCI.

(Read Further: India V Australia, 3rd T20I: Match Prediction)

Earlier, Australian national selector Mark Waugh put forth the batting all-rounder list which included Travis Head for the Ashes spot owing to the Shield competition as an audition.

The middle-order batsman and gloveman Head has a strong chance to make his case in three crucial fixtures of the Shield competition in Australia, before Australia will announce the Ashes squad.

“I feel I’m in good form but it just hasn’t quite worked on this tour. But I hopefully I can go back and get some runs and at least put my hand up and see what happens,” Head further added.

Australia Vs India, Australia Vs England, Ashes 2017-18, Brisbane
Australia’s highly-likely pacers for the Ashes series. Photo Credit: Credit: News Corp.

(Read Also: Travis Head Hopeful of a Fantastic Show From Bowlers in Series-Decider)

Interestingly, the Blues team is lined-up with quality bowlers in the form of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and experienced off-spinner Nathan Lyon, who are highly-likely going to don the white jersey in the Ashes opener.

In September, the CA coach Darren Lehmann made it pretty clear by stating they will be closely monitoring the Shield fixtures, as the Redbacks leader is hopeful of coming good in the competition owing to the Ashes lead-up.

“I haven’t been able to do that so that makes the next three Shield games more important to even put my case forward,” Head remarked.

Travis Head, Hyderabad, Third T20, India Vs Australia, Ashes 2017-18, Australia Vs England, Gabba
Head played 30 ODIs and nine T20Is for Australia. He has a solitary century and six fifties under his belt in 50-over format. Photo Credit: AFP.

The names in the pipeline include off-colour Glenn Maxwell followed by unimpressive Hilton Cartwright and promising-looking Marcus Stoinis for the number six position.

Pertinently, the Sheffield Shield form will be taken into the consideration after CA selectors made it clear in September.

Following the flow show in the bilateral series, Head has played an integral part alongside all-rounder Moises Henriques in the second match of the ongoing three-match Twenty20 international fixture – to level the series against India at Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on September 10 (Tuesday).

“I knew coming here (to India) that if I got runs I would have moved a bit closer to that and at least put my hand up,” Head concluded.

Concurrently, Head is in Hyderabad to feature in the final of the T20 series which will be beginning on Friday (October 13) evening at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.

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