Australia has named its team for the first Ashes Test against England at the Gabba, with South Australia’s Travis Head preferred for the last batting spot ahead of Queensland veteran Usman Khawaja.
Key points:
- Australian Test captain Pat Cummins says it was a “tight” call to take Travis Head over Usman Khawaja for the number five batting spot for the Ashes
- The first match in the five-Test series begins at the Gabba on December 8
- Cummins says the pace-bowling tandem of Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood are likely to take the new ball against England
Selectors had already confirmed that Alex Carey would be Australia’s wicketkeeper for the Gabba, replacing former skipper Tim Paine.
Head made his Test debut against Pakistan in Dubai in 2018, and played most of the Ashes series the following year.
His last match was last year’s Boxing Day Test against India.
The Redbacks skipper has been in a battle with the Bulls’ Khawaja for the spot in the middle order for this summer.
In the final Sheffield Shield match before the test series, Head may have clinched his spot with a century against Khawaja and his Queensland team, although the Bulls’ captain made a quickfire 52 off 36 balls to earn his team outright points.
Head has averaged 39.75 in 19 Tests for Australia, with two centuries and seven 50s.
The 34-year-old Khawaja’s last Test was against England in the Headingley Test in 2019, made famous by Ben Stokes’ match-winning innings of 135.
Khawaja has averaged 40.66 in 44 Tests, with eight centuries and 14 50s.
New captain Pat Cummins said the decision had been a “tight one”.
“The selectors make the call, both really good options, in really strong form,” Cummins said.
“The experience from Uzzie [Khawaja] is great and we are really lucky to have that but Trav [Head] has been playing a lot of us in the last couple of years and has churned out runs.”
Cummins opened the bowling at times last summer but said he was leaning towards allowing Mitchell Starc — who kept his place ahead of an in-form Jhye Richardson and Michael Neser — and Josh Hazelwood to set the tone in Brisbane.
“No [I haven’t decided] is the honest answer; I probably won’t [open] first-up, but we’ve been quite fluid in recent years, pending the situation,” Cummins said.
“Maybe [I will if it’s] late in the day and with only a couple of overs to bowl and I feel I want to have a crack.”
Tasked with the rare honour of captaining as a fast bowler, Cummins said he had asked his teammates for “strong feedback” about his own bowling.
India upset Australia at the Gabba in January, but more bowler-friendly conditions are expected when the ground hosts the first Test on the back of a historically-wet Spring.
Sun has crucially drenched the playing surface in recent days, Cummins joking with groundstaff on Sunday that they’d done enough and the pitch should be left in its striking green state.
Australian XI: David Warner, Marcus Harris, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins (capt), Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc.
ABC/AAP
