Travis Head backs Weatherald to come good in international cricket following patchy Ashes series

Melbourne [Australia], December 28 : Following his side's Boxing Day Test loss to England at Melbourne, Australia's hard-hitting opener Travis Head backed a struggling, inconsistent opening partner Jake Weatherald, who made his international debut during this series, to excel at the highest level of cricket.
Weatherald filled the opening vacancy that has never truly been filled since David Warner's retirement and was picked for the series after fine performances for Tasmania and Australia A in recent years.
A 950-run, chart-topping Sheffield Shield 2024 season, coupled with fine performances for Australia A, created the hype around the 31-year-old, who had scored 301 runs in four Shield matches with three fifties, averaging around 37, before the Ashes.
Weatherald had a horror start, succumbing to express pacer Jofra Archer for a golden duck in his first Test inning. A solid 23 in a run chase of 205 during the first Perth Test and a fiery 72 filled with cracking drives at Brisbane during the pink-ball Test remain his highlights.
Scores of 17*, 18, 1, 10 and 5 followed after his maiden Test fifty, leaving him with just 146 runs at an average of just 20.85. While he has looked comfortable in his double-digit starts, he has not been able to convert those starts into something of substance.
Speaking on Sunday after the loss, Head backed Weatherald to come good, saying that he is "good enough" for international cricket.
"I think he is a good enough cricketer for international cricket. I think he showed a lot of glimpses over his first four Tests, and it is not always going to go your way. I think there are a lot of guys who have looked like they have been on the pump with the bat who are some of the best in our generation. So it can be a tough way to start your international career. But look, I think he is a good enough player to play international cricket," said Head as quoted by ESPNCricinfo.
"I felt like he set the ball up really well," Head said. "The runs have not been there in the last couple of Tests, but he played a crucial innings for us in Brisbane. So over a series, looking for moments in time that could win you a series, and he was able to do that in Brisbane," he added.
Head, previously batting in the middle-order, has been in scorching form this series, having slotted in as an opener at Perth after Usman Khawaja had faced back issues, which caused him to play down the order.
Since then, he has continued as an opener, blasting a scorching 69-ball ton at Perth to finish off the Test in two days, a marathon 170 to seal the Ashes at Adelaide and top-scored across both sides with a 46 in the second innings on a tough Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) surface where runs were hard to score. Pacers were spitting venom on the pitch.
While he could not stop England from ending their 18-match winless streak in Ashes Tests in Australia, Head remains the top-scorer in the series with 437 runs in eight innings at an average of over 54, with two centuries, with no other batter having crossed the 300-run mark so far.
Head confirmed that he will continue with his opening gig, something he does for Australia in white-ball cricket during the Sydney New Year Test from January 4 onwards, but expressed uncertainty about whether he will continue at the top later, as Australia's next Test match will be in August next year.
"I see myself as the team's opening batter for the series, and then we have got a long gap between to sort of piece the puzzle together as to where the team wants to go," Head said.
"I have felt quite good at the top. I have felt like I am batting well. I think I am lining the ball up well. Again, in this series, I feel like I've done my job for the team and put us in a position. So it is pleasing to contribute in different ways," he added.
Head is comfortable batting anywhere, saying he feels confident about wherever the Aussie selectors see him fit to bat.
"You put me exactly where you want to put me to win a cricket game," Head said. "I have full confidence in wherever they see me fit. That is the best thing for the team, and that is how I am more than pleased to set up," he concluded.