READY TO STEP UP

TRAVIS Head is comfortable with the idea of leading Australia should Tim Paine suffer an injury in coming weeks, but for now he is simply content being a sounding board for the skipper.

Head (right) and Pat Cummins were named joint vicecaptains in Australia’s 17-man squad for the Ashes, which start at Edgbaston tomorrow.

Chairman of selectors Trevor Hohns sat on the fence last week when asked who would lead Australia if Paine was unavailable at any point in the five-Test series, noting “possibly it would be Pat Cummins but you can’t hold me to that”.

Head is yet to speak with Hohns about the hypothetical, which could result in him becoming Australia’s 47th Test captain.

“I’m here to help in whatever way I can,” he said.

“If that’s in the vicecaptain’s role or the captain’s role . . . I can do a job for the team.

“I feel comfortable (captaining if asked) . . . if that’s what’s needed, then that’s what’s needed. But we’re not quite sure yet what would happen.”

Paine is regularly picking the brain of predecessor Steve Smith and former vice-captain David Warner, who boast a combined 138 Tests worth of experience. But state skippers Head, Mitch Marsh, Usman Khawaja and Matthew Wade are also well placed to offer some ideas.

“I’m a connection between the group and ‘Painey’ and I’ll feed ideas from the boys to Painey,” Head said.

Coming off a score of one and a duck in last week’s intrasquad clash in Southampton, Head is no certainty to be selected for the first Test. But with a Test average of 51 and a new-found sense of patience, he feels ready to play his first Ashes Test.