Travis Head Reshapes Australia’s Batting with Warner-Style Influence

The impact Travis Head created during the recently concluded Ashes series was phenomenal. He was asked to open the innings only when Usman Khawaja was abruptly injured during the first test. The explosive batter took the opportunity and showcased his brute hitting power to stun the sloppy England team.

Speaking about how Travis Head transformed Australia’s batting, the captain Steve Smith said that Head stepped up bravely when the team was very nervous following Usman Khawaja’s sudden injury. Thankfully, they made the right decision, as Head delivered a splendid batting performance that gave Australia an edge over England.

"Going back to Perth, Trav put his hand up. I said it after that, we were tossing and turning between Nathan Lyon going out to bat and Travis Head, and thankfully we went the right way." said Steve Smith while talking to the reporters.

He added that Travis Head brought a batting power at the top similar to David Warner. Due to that, they successfully transformed the opening impact of their batting, which allowed them to win crucial matches.

"The way he's just come out and put the pressure on the opposition from ball one has been incredible and, yeah, similar to what Davey used to do," added Steve Smith.

Smith then explained the batting strategy of Head, saying that he keeps the bowlers under the pump most of the time. He never misses an opportunity to punish loose deliveries, which makes him a highly dangerous batter at the top.

"He just puts you right under the pump. If you miss, it's going to the fence and with the new ball as well, it helps guys batting behind him.” said Steve Smith.

He further said that Head’s belligerence with the bat helps to soften up the ball, which makes batting easy for the rest of the players. He also praised the contributions of Jake Weatherald by saying that he supported Head very well at the top.

"It softens that ball up definitely when he's hitting it as hard as he is. I thought Jake [Weatherald] had a few really good contributions with him up top as well. Trav's just been phenomenal and I'd say he's pretty much locked away at the top now, I would imagine." added Steve Smith.

Jake Weatherald’s Fate Hinges on Selectors Call

Jake Weatherald played some good innings in the recent Ashes games, but his runs tally remained largely short as compared to other batters. Due to this, his place in the next test matches are not confirmed, as the final call will be taken by the selectors.

"He probably didn't quite get the runs that he would have wanted. But he got us off to a couple of really good starts in pressure situations like today and in Perth as well in that second innings.” said Steve Smith.

"I think the new ball is definitely the trickiest time to bat in Australia at the moment, for sure. I think he did a good job. It's obviously down to the selectors how they see fit for our next couple of games in August." concluded Steve Smith.

The upcoming Sheffield Shield tournament will present an opportunity to many players to exhibit their batting talent. Jake Weatherald and other batters will be looking to utilize this opportunity to reaffirm their claims, as the opening slot in tests is still vacant.