SL vs AUS: Andrew McDonald Backs Travis Head Despite Poor Series With The Bat Against Sri Lanka
Travis Head’s game has improved in Asia, according to head coach Andrew McDonald, as Australia prepares for future visits to the subcontinent.
Australia’s innings defeat in Galle on Monday brought a disappointing finale to two road trips in which they won 1-0 in Pakistan and drew 1-1 in Sri Lanka.
McDonald insists that the Galle reality check should not overshadow the fact that they have made tremendous progress on the subcontinent. However, there is no doubt that issues persist ahead of next year’s tour of India.
Travis Head Was Exposed To Conditions Which Are Very Foreign: Andrew McDonald
“He’s here for the first time. He’s been exposed to conditions that are very foreign. We saw him add the sweep shot in during [the final] innings
He’s been working incredibly hard on his game. Sometimes, you make one small error and you are not there to actually see if your method works or not. There’s definitely been a shift in his game in terms of how he wants to play in these conditions. So we are optimistic that across the journey if given more time, that that can no doubt work, “ McDonald said.
Head made 91 runs at an average of 15.16 against Pakistan and Sri Lanka after having a great home Ashes where he was named player of the series.
The most concerning position is Head’s, after Glenn Maxwell came close to selection in both Tests in Galle and Cummins made it plain he was in the running for India.
Usman Khawaja developed his reputation as a better player in five Tests in Asia. In Galle, Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne both hit hundreds, while Cameron Green was impressive throughout.
Alex Carey had a bad second Test with the gloves in Sri Lanka, but he still averaged 53.60 throughout the two tours.
