Travis Head detail that could factor heavily into Pat Cummins' thinking for Boxing Day Test
Head overcame a quad strain that left him under a cloud before Boxing Day.
Australian captain Pat Cummins insists Travis Head has overcome an injury scare and will be good to go for the Boxing Day Test against India. But the searing temperatures at the MCG on Thursday and concerns around the quad strain that left Head under an injury cloud, could factor heavily into Australia's approach for the fourth Test and their decision to bat first.
Cummins and coach Andrew McDonald have both suggested that the MCG pitch has been a 'bowl-first' wicket in recent years and were happy with the state of it after an inspection on Christmas Day. But the fact temperatures are expected to get close to 40C at the MCG on day one of the fourth Test, made it an even more crucial toss to win, with Cummins deciding to bat on Thursday after the coin landed his way.
The last thing Head needed if there was even the smallest hint of concern around his quad is to field all day in the sweltering heat at the MCG and putting even more strain on his body. Cummins would have also surely been reluctant to ask his bowlers and fielders to have to battle through the oppressive and energy-sapping conditions expected on day one.
However, Cummins says the Aussies would be ready for whatever eventuates after Thursday morning's toss after pointing to the hot and humid conditions they battled through in the washed out third Test at the Gabba. The Aussie skipper says Head - who comes into the Boxing Day Test as Australia's most important batter after centuries in the last two Tests - is good to go after getting through a series of sprints and net sessions over the last couple of days.
Pat Cummins brushes off Travis Head injury concerns
"Travis is good to go, he'll play. He ticked off some final things today and yesterday, but no stress, no worries about injury for Trav," Australia captain Pat Cummins said after training on Christmas Day. "He'll go into the game fully fit. I don't think you'll see too much management of him throughout the game ... maybe around fielding if he's a bit uncomfortable."
If the Aussies did have to field first, there's every chance Cummins' men would have managed his workload and perhaps turned to their reserve fielder at times. Fortunately for Australia, that won't be the case. But Head's inclusion is a massive boost to Australia's hopes of winning the Border-Gavaskar series, with the 30-year-old belting 409 runs at an average of 81.80 across the first three Tests of the series so far.
"You can see the pressure that he shifts back onto the opposition, literally from the first ball that he walks out there," Cummins said. The Aussies have made two changes from the starting XI at the Gabba, with 19-year-old Sam Konstas replacing Nathan McSweeney at opener and local hero Scott Boland coming in for injured quick Josh Hazlewood.
Heat could be a major factor on day one of Boxing Day Test
The Aussies will be hoping to stop India from winning a third straight Test at the MCG and Cummins admitted that the heat in Melbourne would be a factor in the decision-making of whichever captain won the toss. "It (the heat) is another layer - you get to the ground tomorrow, you look at the pitch," he said. "You get a bit of a sense of what (sort of) day it's going to feel like and make a decision from there. It is a factor ... I don't think it scares us too much."
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Australian coach McDonald admitted earlier in the week that the heatwave in Melbourne might make Cummins and rival captain Rohit Sharma reconsider bowling first, which has been the usual MCG option in recent years. And Australia's decision to bat first on Thursday means Konstas will face his first ball in Test cricket in front of a full house at the MCG on Boxing Day. But Cummins has been doing his best to take the pressure off the teenager by urging him to play his normal game.
"I was saying this to Sammy the other day, I remember as an 18-year-old thinking 'I got a lot more leeway, because I was young' - almost publicly," Cummins said. "I almost felt like if I didn't have a great game, it wasn't my fault, it was the selectors' fault for picking me ... they're the idiots who picked an 18-year-old. It's Boxing Day, it doesn't get any better than this, just enjoy the moment."
