Australia’s Travis Head, the opening batsman, has been released from the current T20 International series against India to concentrate on preparing for the upcoming Ashes series with the red ball. The 31-year-old player will join South Australia for Sheffield Shield action alongside Alex Carey, facing Tasmania starting on November 10. This move is part of Head’s readiness for the first Ashes Test set to commence on November 21 in Perth.
Head’s upcoming appearance in the Sheffield Shield match will mark his return to first-class cricket since his participation in Australia’s West Indies tour back in July. The batsman has faced challenges in limited-overs cricket lately, registering a top score of 31 in eight innings across ODIs and T20Is post his notable 142 against South Africa in August.
Joining Josh Hazlewood and Sean Abbott, Head is now the third player to depart from Australia’s T20I squad to prioritize red-ball cricket preparation for the Ashes. Hazlewood and Abbott, who were part of the early India series matches, will represent New South Wales against Victoria at SCG in an anticipated Sheffield Shield encounter, where Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon will also feature.
Selectors, as reported by cricket.com.au, provided Head the choice to remain with the T20I squad or engage in domestic cricket, with Head opting to play the Shield match. It’s anticipated that all probable members of Australia’s Ashes squad will partake in the next Shield round. Notably, Head’s involvement in a Shield match before the Border-Gavaskar Trophy last summer led him to finish as the top run-scorer in the competition.
Additionally, left-arm seamer Ben Dwarshuis will join the squad for the remaining two matches of the T20I series after recovering from a calf injury. The ongoing five-match T20I series between India and Australia stands at 1-1, with the upcoming games scheduled for Carrara on November 6 and Brisbane on November 8.