NEWS
Follow UsAustralia’s vice-captain Travis Head, who suffered a minor quad strain while batting in the Brisbane Test last week, has been declared fit for the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, starting December 26. Pat Cummins also confirmed that Sam Konstas will be handed his debut cap, whereas Scott Boland will replace Josh Hazlewood.
Head underwent a fitness test on Christmas Day, and the medical team is fully convinced of his readiness for the match.
"Trav's good to go, he'll play. He just ticked off some final things today and yesterday. But no worries about injury with Trav. He'll go into the game fully fit," Australia's skipper Pat Cummins said. "I don't think you'll see too much management of him throughout the game. He just kind of plays as is. Maybe around fielding, if he's a bit uncomfortable, we will (manage him), but he's fully fit.
"It feels like the last 12 months, he's been in this unbelievable vein of form, and he just keeps going on with it. He's hitting the ball really cleanly. You can see the pressure that he shifts back onto the opposition literally from the first ball that he walks out there. I'm loving that he's in our team and I don't have to try to set a field and bowl to him. He's hitting the ball as well as I've ever seen anyone. So long may it continue."
Meanwhile, Sam Konstas, who was added to the Test squad for the final two matches, will replace Nathan McSweeney at the top of the order. The teenage batter will thus become the country's youngest Test opener and fourth-youngest debutant for Australia in Men's Tests.
Konstas started the first-class season with twin centuries against South Australia, becoming the youngest to do so in the Sheffield Shield since Ricky Ponting before hitting a century against the Indian team during the two-day warm-up game in Canberra.
"There's a level of naivety that you just want to go out and play like you do when you're a kid in the backyard. You just want to take the game on, have fun, and not overthink it. That's the message to Sam. That's definitely how I felt as an 18-year-old. I was just really excited, and once the game started, you go into game mode, and it's just like any other game," Cummins said.
With Josh Hazlewood out of the Test series, Australia will also have the services of Scott Boland who has an incredible record in Melbourne over the years. "He bowled beautifully in Adelaide. Whenever he gets his chance, he steps in and looks like he's one of the best bowlers in the world. I expect him (to do) much the same.
“He loves bowling here, he's played probably more than anyone else here at the MCG in our team. He's prepared really well. It is pretty awesome that even with an unfortunate injury like Josh has, you can have someone like Scotty to come straight in seamlessly,” the skipper added.
Australia XI: Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Mitch Marsh, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland
