Travis Head has pushed back against calls to regenerate the Test team, arguing Australia should maintain their recent policy to reinforce a “strong team” with seasoned players from domestic ranks, and not radically alter things due to one “shithouse day” that cost them the second Test against South Africa.
asserted
that → push → Africa
Following his rearguard century, featuring a long partnership with nightwatchman Scott Boland, Head admitted the team had identified an underperforming batting order as an issue to be addressed before this series, but could not put his finger on why they had not managed to pass 400 in an innings since January last year – 10 Test matches ago.
uncertain
they → follow → January
Head stopped short of batting for the retention of Nic Maddinson or Marnus Labuschagne in the top three, only saying he would support them as teammates.
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he → stop → teammates
He identified with Labuschagne’s struggles to make big scores, and stressed that Maddinson’s qualities as a person would not be lost because of a few low scores in his Test comeback.
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qualities → identify → comeback
But Head’s most striking message was that strong teams should be reinforced with senior players while weaker teams rebuild, adamant that Australia must be considered the former.
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Australia → reinforce → players
“The times that you’ve seen strong Australian cricket teams, you’ve seen older guys come in because I think just it’s a byproduct of how strong the Test team is,” Head said.
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Head → see → teams
“It’s great that we’ve got a strong Test team.
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we → ’ → team
It’s great that that means that we know that our next guys in are hardened first-class cricketers.
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guys → ’ → ?
“If you look at the guys that you guys talk about, it’s the Kurtis Pattersons of the world, the Peter Handscombs.
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it → look → world
I’m going to miss people, but guys that have played a lot of first-class cricket.
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that → go → cricket
“Then you skip a generation, you go to Sam Konstas and the [Ollie] Peakes and the [Campbell] Kellaways.
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you → skip → Konstas
It’s where does this team fit, and where can it fit, and where can we continue to be where we want to be, which is Test championship finals or contenders, and what’s that person going to bring?”
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person → ’ → what
Maddinson and all-rounder Beau Webster are expected to come under severe pressure for their places this week, but Head said that fans and commentators should take a breath and not throw out a bunch of names because of what transpired in Gqeberha.
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what → expect → Gqeberha
“Next week might look different to this week, and it will purely be down to winning a game of cricket,” he said.
uncertain
he → look → cricket
“And I think that’s the way they select in the team.
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they → think → team
And I think I have confidence in the first-class system.
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I → think → system
I have confidence in the next man in being an experienced 32-year-old like a Jake Weatherald or Pete Handscomb, Kurtis Patterson, who have all done well.
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who → have → Weatherald
“I think right now it’s that we’ve got a strong Australian cricket team.
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we → think → team
We haven’t played very well, and people will doubt that over this week.
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people → play → week
They doubt if it’s a strong cricket team.
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it → doubt → ?
We’ve had a shit week.
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We → have → week
That’s OK.
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That → ’ → ?
Past selections show that we’re trying to slot guys in to continue to be world No.1.”
Nevertheless, Head joined captain Pat Cummins in accepting that batting performances had to improve if the team was to succeed in Cape Town.
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team → show → Town
“It’s difficult putting the finger on things,” he said.
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he → ’ → things
“I think we’ve spoken as a group going into the series that we’ve sort of had one individual each time, and they’ve always been different individuals, and we sort of haven’t been able to get that collective batting day that we would desire as a team.
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we → think → team
“So if you look through it, or you look Greeny [Cameron Green] and Darwin, in Mackay we batted once and 180 was enough for two innings.
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180 → look → innings
Then you look at last week with Renners’ [Matt Renshaw] game.
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you → look → game
Again this game, I was able to step up and get runs, but like it’s always been sort of one individual at a time, and we haven’t been able to get that collective.
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we → step → collective
And we talked about that into the series.
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we → talk → series
“We just haven’t been able to find that, and it’s something that the team’s been really good at over a long period of time now is that built big partnerships, substantial partnerships that win games of cricket.
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that → find → cricket
We just haven’t been able to find that in the last couple of months.
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We → find → months
It’s very hard to put a finger on while we’re playing some exceptional attacks in some trying conditions.
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we → ’ → conditions
But yeah, it’s not through lack of trying.
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it → ’ → trying
The players will rest up ahead of the Newlands Test, with some partners and families arriving for the final week of the tour.
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partners → rest → tour
Head said it was important to keep the series ledger in perspective and not let the St George’s Park performance “eat away” at them.
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performance → say → them
“I think it’s pretty clear on what we got wrong,” he said.
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he → think → what
“We had a pretty shithouse day.
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We → have → day
If we don’t get bowled out for 99, more than likely the Test goes to a draw.
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Test → bowl → draw
It’s pretty obvious what we did poorly.
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we → ’ → what
“So I think there’s disappointment in the room.
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I → think → room
…and 7 more, not listed.
The Aporia
