Travisty of curse on lefties

Head fighting cruel SA stat

THE shadow of three former South Australian left- hand batsmen is stalking Travis Head as he fights for his Test future.

David Hookes, Darren Lehmann and Wayne Phillips were all exceptionally talented left- handed batsmen for the state, but they played 23, 27 and 27 Tests respectively.

Now Head is heading down that same road as he approaches another crossroads in his promising yet under- thepump 19- Test career.

Head was shocked to be axed during the 2019 Ashes series to make way for Mitchell Marsh, and it might fall again if Australia hands an expected baggy green to Will Pucovski at the SCG.

His South Australian coach Jason Gillespie believes Head is unfairly targeted, given his healthy Test average of 39.75 and two centuries to his name.

“The South Australian skipper would clearly love to be making more Test runs, but he is far from Australia’s worstperformed batsman this summer, and I get tired of hearing people constantly question his position in the side,” Gillespie wrote.

“Most other players don’t seem to cop the same intense scrutiny that comes Trav’s way and it’s unfair.”

Even if Head was to survive to play Sydney, which would be unexpected, the writing is on the wall that Australia wants to give Pucovski his debut this series.

There is no reason why he can’t still be the player of the future he was first identified as when he was handed the vicecaptaincy after Sandpapergate.

But even at 27 years of age, with the prime of his career still ahead of him, other former greats believe Head needs to make urgent changes.

Shane Warne has been highly critical of Head for getting out in the same way — slashing outside off — too often, while one of the greatest South Australians of all, Ian Chappell, said you can’t be a Test batsman if you’re vulnerable in so many areas.

Lehmann was chosen as 12th man for Australia as a teenager for a Test in the late 1980s, but didn’t make his debut for another decade.

He came through in a champion era with so many star batsman, yet was regarded as one of the finest players of spin in the world. Lehmann averaged 50 in first- class cricket and many believe he had the potential to double or treble his number of Test caps.