Former Australian opener David Boon has expressed his disagreement with the idea of Travis Head replacing David Warner as the opener for the second Ashes Test at The Lord’s.
During a podcast interaction on ‘SEN Tassie’, Boon was asked about the possibility of Head being promoted to the opening position at Lord’s to match England’s aggressive approach. Boon, however, voiced his opinion against such a move, suggesting that Australia should stick with the existing combination.
He mentioned that from his perspective, Warner should retain his position as the opener despite his relatively lower contribution in the first Test. Boon observed that Warner appeared more in control and displayed improved performance in the second innings.
“There are a lot of different ways that you can look at it. If I was looking at it, I think Warner is still going to open. He looked better in the second innings, more in control and Travis Head has been going so well where he is batting. I would find it difficult to change that,” Boon said.
He further said that that if any changes have to be made, they should occur in other areas of the batting lineup and not involve Head. He highlighted the exceptional cricket that Head has been playing for the past 18 months.
“I believe if you are going to make a change, make it somewhere else and leave Travis where he is. He has now had at least 18 months of exceptional cricket under his belt, with a number of hundreds and playing aggressively as well. So I personally wouldn’t change that,” the former cricketer added
In the first Test at Edgbaston, Head showcased his batting prowess by accumulating 66 runs, including a half-century, while batting in the middle order. On the other hand, Warner scored 45 runs across both innings.
Head’s recent performances have been commendable, as he has amassed 1455 runs at an impressive average of 53.88 in the 19 Tests he has played since the beginning of 2021. However, concerns have been raised about his vulnerability against the short-pitched deliveries, which might discourage Australia from promoting him to the top of the order.
Meanwhile, Australia has taken a commanding 1-0 lead in the five-match series against England after a thrilling victory in the first Test at Edgbaston. Led from the front by captain Pat Cummins, the Aussies emerged victorious in dramatic fashion on the final day, securing a two-wicket win.
In their pursuit of the target set by England, Australia faced a challenging situation as they were reduced to 227/8 at one stage. However, skipper Cummins showcased his batting prowess by scoring a crucial 44 runs. His innings played a pivotal role in steering the team towards victory. Notably, Cummins formed a valuable partnership of 55 runs with Nathan Lyon for the ninth wicket, which proved to be a crucial turning point for Australia in the match.
