“It’s what defines you as a player; your away series,” Head said on Thursday. “You look at [Steve Smith’s] record in India … he goes to a different level. On the flipside, you can’t chase that. You can’t change yourself, you can’t try to be someone that you’re not.
“But definitely going away, obviously [given] how tough I found it in an Ashes away [with] different environments, crowds, conditions … it is definitely challenging, and you definitely get tested. I think that’s where you can take your game to a different level.”
Steve Smith and Travis Head during the first Test of the 2019 Ashes. Credit:PA
Australia could experiment with their XI depending on conditions in Rawalpindi, Karachi and Lahore, with an expectation that two spinners could play together.
That means Australia’s middle order, featuring Head and Cameron Green, could be changed throughout the series.
Head was dropped for the final Test of Australia’s 2019 Ashes series to make way for all-rounder Mitch Marsh, who could feasibly squeeze into the team if the tourists wanted to strengthen their batting. It’s all team-first though for Head.
“When you go away, you’ve got to be prepared to be brave in not only the way you play but in the way you select the team as well,” Head said. “Everyone in that squad has to understand they are going on a plane to hopefully have an impact on the series.
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“I was probably on the receiving end of that, and it was disappointing to miss [a Test], but at the end of the day, you’ve got to pick the best teams for what you think is going to win a Test match or win a series. It’s going to take the whole squad to be able to do that.”
Meanwhile, Pakistani umpires Aleem Dar and Ahsan Raza will be in charge of the three Tests. Despite a perceived bias by some Pakistan umpires in previous years, McDonald is satisfied with the arrangement.
“[Home umpires] worked fine out here in Australia,” McDonald told the Herald and The Age. “Lately there has been a lot of home-town umpires but they’ve also increased the amount of DRS to counter that perceived bias.”
Raza was the umpire seriously injured when bullets pierced his lungs and liver in the shooting attack on the Sri Lanka team in 2009 in Lahore.
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Overseas runs could ‘define’ Aussie batters in Pakistan: Head
Source: Philippines Alive
