Travis Head To Miss Start Of Sri Lanka T20I Series, To Play Sheffield Shield Match For South Australia

Australian batter Travis Head will miss the start of the Sri Lanka T20I series as he will play a Sheffield Shield match for South Australia in order to prepare for Pakistan Test series.

Head, who played his last T20I match against Pakistan in 2018, is reportedly said to miss the first three T20I matches against Sri Lanka in the upcoming five-match series at home.

Travis Head to play for South Australia against Victoria in Sheffield Shield

Head was the leading run-scorer in the Ashes against England, he accumulated 357 runs from six innings at an average of 59.50.

He made 152 from 148 balls in the Ashes opener in Brisbane as Australia won by nine wickets in just four days. Head missed the fourth Test in Sydney after testing positive for COVID-19.

According to a report by ESPNCricinfo, Head along with Australian wicket-keeper Alex Carey will play for South Australia against Victoria in the domestic match.

The South Australian batter will be available for selection in the final two T20I matches, which will be played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on February 18 & 20 respectively.

Daniel Sams added to Australia squad for Sri Lanka T20Is

Australian all-rounder Daniel Sams has been added to the T20I squad as Head’s replacement. Sams was one of the reserved players in Australia’s title winning campaign.

The 29-year-old ended up as the leading wicket-taker of Sydney Thunder in the BBL 2021-22. He also smashed 98 off 44 balls against Melbourne Renegades, plundering seven fours and eight sixes at the strike rate of 222.73.

Steve Smith is part of Australia’s squad for the five-match T20I series against Sri Lanka. Australia will see its pace troika of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood back in action together after Hazlewood revovered from his side strain.

Aaron Finch will lead the side under interim coach Andrew McDonald’s presence after Justin Langer recently stepped down from the head coach’s role.

Australia Squad For T20I Series vs Sri Lanka:

Aaron Finch (C), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Moises Henriques, Josh Inglis, Daniel Sams, Ben McDermott, Glenn Maxwell, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, Adam Zampa

Also Read: Travis Head, Kagiso Rabada And Virat Kohli Gain Big In Latest ICC Test Players Rankings