Travis Head Rejects Former Players’ Criticism of Australia’s Test Team

Australia vice-captain Travis Head said on October 7 that criticism of the current Test team by former players was unfair. Speaking in Durban before Friday’s opening Test against South Africa, he said the squad was strong enough to withstand the criticism following controversy over Nic Maddinson’s recall. Head did not single out individual critics and expressed respect for earlier generations of Australian players. He argued that more difficult pitches partly explained lower batting averages in the modern game. Head also defended his continued role as an opener ahead of the series.