Australian national cricket team's superstar batsman Travis Head is doubtful for the fourth Test of the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, while teenage sensation Sam Konstas is set to make his debut.
The developments regarding Travis Head and Sam Konstas were confirmed by Australia's national cricket team boss Andrew McDonald days before the match against the Indian national cricket team at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
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Travis Head was India's biggest headache, with Sam Konstas replacing Nathan McSweeney
30-year-old Travis Head has been the biggest headache for the Indian team for over a year. He was the main man behind Australia defeating India in the finals of the ICC World Test Championship and the ICC Cricket World Cup.
Travis Head continued his red-hot form in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India and looked superb with the bat.
Head started the Test series against India in Perth with a score of 11 but then exploded for 89 in the second innings. He followed it up with a stunning knock of 140 runs in the Adelaide Test and then in the Brisbane Test, he smashed 152 runs in the first innings.
Travis Head is currently the leading run-scorer in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy with 405 runs at an average of 81.80.
Talking about Sam Konstas, he is one of the most talented young cricketers in Australia right now. He was included in the squad for the last two Test matches after Nathan McSweeney failed to open in the first three matches.
Sam Konstas, being a 19-year-old, does not have much experience in the bag as he has played only 11 matches in first-class cricket and has scored 718 runs at an average of 42.33.
And what he has shown is a streak of hitting, the ability to put pressure back on opponents – Andrew McDonald on Sam Konstas
Speaking at a pre-match press conference, Andrew McDonald said Sam Konstas would make his Boxing Day Test debut, becoming the fourth youngest Australian to make his Test debut after Ian Craig, Pat Cummins and Tom Garrett. The head coach also praised teenage batsman Sam Konstas for his ability to put pressure back on the opposition. He said:
“We said from the beginning, when we go in the summer, that we will not be shy, and age was not a barrier. And what he has shown is a range of shots, the ability to put pressure back on opponents and he has his opportunity. We are very excited for him.”
Speaking about Travis Head, who picked up a minor quad strain in the Brisbane Test, Andrew McDonald said the batsman was not 100 per cent cleared to take part in the Melbourne Test but was fairly confident of playing in the playing XI . He elaborated:
“Is there something to deal with? Yes, it has. So that's what you would have seen. There is no concern at this time. Has it been officially ticked off? I'm not sure. I haven't seen the genre. of the back-end of the training session there, but I'm pretty confident he'll play.
“I think he looked good with the bat, so obviously the skills are in good shape. Yes, there will basically be risk associated with it. He had a little strain on his quad. But no problem from my side. He's been able to run, yeah, so I think he'll be fully functional come game time.”
Andrew McDonald gives an update on Mitchell Marsh
There have been some concerns over the fitness of star all-rounder Mitchell Marsh, but the head coach has confirmed that he is fully fit. Notably, Marsh had one of the longest bowling spells of the summer in the nets on Tuesday and looked good.
“Just to clarify, Mitch Marsh is fully fit and available to bowl,” McDonald said of the all-rounder's fitness.
Andrew McDonald also confirmed that Scott Boland will replace Josh Hazlewood in the playing XI after the latter was ruled out of the series.
“If I haven't picked Scotty here, and I'm not allowed to call the team because that's Pat's job tomorrow, but I don't think I'll be coming to the ground on Boxing Day if Scotty isn't in the XI. So. you can go with that,'' McDonald said.