Australia Playing XI for MCG Test announced, Travis Head's fate decided

On Wednesday, December 25, the Australian National Cricket Team officially revealed their playing XI for the fourth Test match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.

The fourth Test match of the five-match series between India National Cricket Team and Australia National Cricket Team is all set to be played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground from December 26.

Also Read: Ex-India head coach claims Travis Head gave Jasprit Bumrah a belt treatment

BGT currently stands at 1-1

The ongoing series between India and Australia is currently levelled at 1-1. India National Cricket Team started off their campaign Down Under with a dominant 295-run win in Perth under the leadership of Jasprit Bumrah.

Pat Cummins & Co., meanwhile, bounced back strong in the second game, which was a pink-ball Test in Adelaide. They thrashed the Rohit Sharma-led side to clinch a 10-wicket victory.

The third Test match was held in Brisbane and the Aussies showed sheer dominance both with the bat and ball. However, the rain played spoilsport and the game ended in draw, denying Australia a win.

Trav's good to go, he'll play - Pat Cummins

There were questions over the participation of Travis Head in the fourth Test after the batter suffer a minor quad strain in Brisbane.

However, Pat Cummins confirmed that the left-handed batsman passed the fitness Test and is good to go. He elaborated:

"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. 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."

Pat Cummins added that they are lucky to have a player of Head's caliber in their line-up because bowling to him is quite difficult at the moment due to his red-hot form. He said:

"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."

You just want to take the game on, have fun, and not overthink it - Pat Cummins' reveals message to Sam Konstas

The 19-year-old Sam Konstas will be making his Test debut in Melbourne and open the innings with Usman Khawaja. Pat Cummins, who himself made his debut at the age of 18, said that the message given to the teenager is to have fun out there without overthinking. Australia skipper elaborated:

"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."

Pat Cummins further lauded Scott Boland, who will be replacing Josh Hazlewood in the playing XI after the latter got ruled out of the series with injury. Cummins said that Boland is one of the best bowlers in the world and Australia are lucky to have him as a backup pacer. He said:

"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."

Australia XI for the fourth Test:

Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Mitch Marsh, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (C), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland