Fresh from an impressive performance in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup in India, Travis Head is aiming for a permanent position in the Australia T20I squad, capitalizing on an imminent vacancy in the Test line-up.
Head is concentrating on the middle-order Test role as Australia gear up to take on Pakistan in the first Test starting from December 14. However, he is also keeping a keen eye on the ICC Men's T20 World Cup next year.
The southpaw is not confirmed in the T20I squad and recently opted to stay back after the Cricket World Cup in India. Instead of heading home to play in the Sheffield Shield, he chose to participate in the final three matches of the bilateral T20Is.
"I'm not a lock for that T20 World Cup, so I wanted to present and try to perform and try and get myself in that team. We felt like that was the greater opportunity to play the three T20s," Head told the media before the Perth Test set to begin on Thursday.
"We haven't got many T20 opportunities coming up over the next little bit, so it was sort of that last chance to press my claims to make sure that I'm in the mix."
On the other hand, Australia faces a substantial void akin to the size of David Warner's absence to address following the commencement of the three-match ICC World Test Championship series against Pakistan this week. Nevertheless, World Cup hero Head made it clear that he is not among the contenders vying for that position.
"[Selectors and team are] happy with me in the middle order," he added.
"I think it's a specialist job. The guys that have been waiting to get into the team for a while deserve the first crack at it," he maintained.
"But the conversations are ongoing with everyone...only one for me is [taking the opening role] the subcontinent. I don't see myself moving around too much in the future."
Earlier, the 29-year-old was named ICC Men's Player of the Month for November 2023.
Head's 220 ODI runs during the month of November - that featured a half-century and a century - that proved the difference, with the left-hander winning his first Player of the Month award.
The two best knocks during November came in the most critical stage of Australia’s successful Cricket World Cup campaign.
These innings won Head the Player of the Match award in the semi-final and final of the 50-over showcase.
Head is only the second Australia Men's player to take the award after David Warner, who won it in November 2021.
- Travis Head