Head at No.5 will mean more danger for England, says Warner as Australia selectors face a big call over Usman Khawaja.
For the third Ashes Test in Adelaide, David Warner has supported his former opening partner Usman Khawaja to return to the top of the order because he thinks that Travis Head at No. 5 will cause England the most trouble.
Before the game where the home team might win the Ashes, Australia’s selectors must make a crucial decision whether Khawaja is deemed fit after experiencing back spasms. Head and Jake Weatherald have formed two significant alliances since Khawaja was unable to open in Perth.
There are differing views on how Australia should go, and coach Andrew McDonald proposed that Khawaja may be used in the middle order. Warner, however, believes they ought to go back to their original strategy.
“I think Uzzy comes back in, slides to the top, and Trav goes down,” Warner told reporters ahead of captaining Sydney Thunder in the BBL “That’s probably a worse result for England, Travis Head going back down the order.”
Head has struck eight of his ten Test hundreds, including three at Adelaide Oval, his home ground. He averages 41.46 at No. 5. Warner noted that although there was no assurance it would succeed in the long run, Head opening might still be an option after Khawaja retires.
“At the end of the day, Travis put his hand up to bat in the situation he was in,” Warner said. “He came out and batted in the way Travis Head does. You see plenty of interviews from Trav saying that is Uzzy’s spot, and if when the time comes they ask him to go up the order, he wouldn’t mind to do that.
“We didn’t have that aggressor down in the middle order [in previous years]. Australia has that now as well, and moving forward with whatever Uzzy decides to do, if he hangs them up, they can look that way.
“But then it’s on all of us to understand that potentially might not work and Travis will have to go back down the order. And then they are going to have to look for another replacement. The selectors have a headache.”