AUS v NZ | Given the Test Championship, we won’t be complacent at Sydney, says Travis Head
Left-handed batsman Travis Head reckons Australia will not be complacent in their third Test against New Zealand at Sydney because of the World Test Championship points on offer. The Aussies have already won the three-match series on the back of comprehensive wins at Perth and Melbourne.
Under earlier circumstances, a team that has already won a series — and players being in a festive mood around the new year — could’ve looked at the remainder of the series as a dead rubber affair. However, Travis pointed out that with each Test win a vital cog in each team’s bid for the Test Championship title, there is no room for complacency. Currently, Australia are second on the points table with 256 points — behind leaders India on 360 points.
“There’s a lot to play for. With the Test Championship now, there are more points up for offer. It’s basically our World Cup. We want to be at Lord’s competing for the Test Championship, but it’s a long process to get there,” Travis told cricket.com.au.
“It’s not been one of our strengths to win games after a win. We’re on a bit of a roll at the moment, everyone’s fresh and ready to go. So hopefully, we can finish the summer really well,” he said.
Having turned his career around from being a white-ball player to a red-ball specialist, the 26-year-old is glad that he could put in a Man-of-the-Match performance in Australia’s 247-run win in the second Test at the MCG.
“It’s always nice to get runs. I haven’t had that many opportunities given how our other batters have been playing. So there was a little bit of frustration at not being able to score big whenever I got the opportunity. So it was nice to obviously do that and contribute to an Australian win,” he said.
When he was asked about the bushfire smoke affecting the air quality in and around New South Wales, Travis put his confidence in the officials to make the right calls for the SCG Test, starting on January 3.
“I’ve seen the photos. Again, it’s something that’ll be taken out of our hands. Player safety is an aspect of it, but I’m sure the officials have seen what happened in Canberra and put us up in the best setup possible,” he said.
“It’s not a concern to me, it’s just a game of cricket. There are a lot more people being worse-affected than us. Our thoughts with them. We’ll just play the game as best as we can,” Travis added.
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