Head set ‘free’ by Aussie skipper
TRAVIS Head has been given a licence to thrill by his captain and a promise that there will be no punishment if he occasionally falls on his attacking sword.
Pat Cummins sees the path to world domination as playing “brave” cricket, and key to that strategy ahead of the March tour of Pakistan is the unshackled brilliance of Head.
Leaving him to be free and fearless with his blistering strokeplay delivered Ashes centuries in Brisbane and Hobart, which have reshaped the Australian middle order and made Head the next big thing in world cricket.
“Travis goes about it a little bit differently to most other batters which is his biggest strength,” said Cummins.
“As a captain, I don’t care if he gets out in non-traditional ways. I just want him to go out, be free and play his game.
“I thought the way Marnus (Labuschagne), Trav Head and Cameron Green took on the game (in Hobart) was a really good template for any conditions that are really foreign that we might expect.
“We can be the type of team that are brave enough to take that positivity overseas if we need to. That puts us in a great place.”
Head’s rise to claim Ashes man of the series honours in a hot field where Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland could have easily taken out the prize is extraordinary given he hadn’t even locked in his position in the side until the week before the first Test.
The South Australian was axed from the side during last summer’s loss to India, and admits the faith shown in him by Cummins to be himself – even if it occasionally looks bad – has spurred him to the next level.
“Pat’s been exceptional over this series and the conversations I’ve had with him have linked up really well with the conversation I had with Tim Nielsen at South Australia,” said Head. “I went through a period of time where I understood that dismissals might not look the best and I might get caught at third man or flap at a ball – and obviously I don’t want to do that … but in saying that, no dismissal ever looks pretty. Any outs are a bad out.
“He (Cummins) backs me 100 per cent. That gave me the confidence … to be myself and play the situation as I see it.”