New Delhi, Nov 26 Former Australia captain Aaron Finch says Travis Head should play as a middle-order batter for the day-night Test at the Gabba, even after his explosive century as a stand-in opener in Perth.
Head’s success at the top has put pressure on Usman Khawaja, whose ongoing back spasms forced him out of his usual opening role in both innings of the first Test. His limited time on the field, caused by England’s rapid first-innings collapse, meant he couldn’t resume his spot when Head was elevated.
Finch argued that the pink ball changes the equation for Brisbane and makes Head more valuable at No. 5, where his counterattacking style can shape the match.
“If this wasn't a pink-ball test match coming up at the Gabba, I would tend to agree and say, you know what, maybe it is time to throw him [Head] up there and you just launch into it from day one of a Test,” Finch told ESPN's Around The Wicket.
“But I just feel as though the fact that it is a pink-ball test, the impact that that brand new ball can have and the impact that Travis Head can have batting at No. 5 when the pink ball does go a bit soft and the game can sort of, the wicket can flatten out. I like him at five still, just to be that real explosive player through the middle order,” he added.
Khawaja stepped in at No. 4 on the opening day in Perth, only to fall gloving a sharp rising ball from Brydon Carse. His recent form had already been under the microscope, with just one Test century in his previous 44 innings before the Ashes began.
Brisbane, however, is familiar territory for him. It’s his home Test and a venue where he has excelled under lights, topping the day-night first-class run charts at the Gabba with 502 runs at an average of 50.02.
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