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Australia have named a predictable team for the present, and nominated Travis Head as a captain of the future, before the first Test against Pakistan, beginning in Perth on Thursday.<\/p>\n
While Australia\u2019s fastest bowler, Lance Morris, was overlooked for the attack, Head has been appointed as a vice captain with Steve Smith.<\/p>\n
Captain Pat Cummins, 30, said the appointment did not guarantee Head, 30 this month, the job as Australia\u2019s next skipper, but sung his praises.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s always been a leader in our group, so we thought it was a good time to formally recognise that,\u201d Cummins said after training at Perth Stadium on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile nothing\u2019s imminent, Steve [Smith, 34] is not going to play forever, I dare say I\u2019m not going to captain them forever, so we feel like we\u2019ve got some responsibility to future-proof the team and start trying to give opportunities to other leaders.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt doesn\u2019t guarantee anything, but we\u2019ve given him a good opportunity. So when you look through candidates for future captains, of course he\u2019s going to be right up there. And I know in my last couple of years before I became captain, being in some of those conversations as a vice captain really helped fast track my readiness.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh watch on at training during the week.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty<\/cite><\/p>\n Cummins said teammates \u201clove\u201d the personality Head brings.<\/p>\n \u201cYou see it in the way he plays his cricket,\u201d Cummins said. \u201cThere\u2019s a certain amount of freedom to it; he takes the game on, he enjoys it. He\u2019s always got a smile on his face, he never takes anything too seriously.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s great at bringing the team together for team morale, for putting his arm around players that need it. Sometimes you can mistake that for someone who\u2019s not a deep thinker about the game, but I think tactically, he\u2019s excellent.\u201d<\/p>\n A long-serving captain of South Australia after being appointed the state\u2019s youngest leader, Head was previously Test co-vice captain with Cummins under Tim Paine from January 2019 to November 2020.<\/p>\n Pakistan captain Shan Masood and Australian counterpart Pat Cummins with the Benaud-Qadir Trophy in Perth.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty<\/cite><\/p>\n The only change to the Australian team from the fifth and final Ashes Test at the Oval, where England levelled a controversial series 2-2, is the return of Nathan Lyon, following a serious calf injury, in place of his heir apparent Todd Murphy.<\/p>\n \u201cLance has been impressive this week [at training], really impressive,\u201d Cummins said. \u201cBut every Test match you pick your best 11. There\u2019s World Test Championship points you play for every game. It\u2019s a Test match for Australia.\u201d<\/p>\n The Australians were still playing Simon & Garfunkel\u2019s Sound of Silence<\/em> at training this week as a continuing celebration of their ODI World Cup victory over India last month.<\/p>\n It became the team\u2019s anthem as a crowd of almost 100,000 went mute in the final at Ahmedabad, but the song could also sum up what the Australians will experience at Perth Stadium in their first appearance since that victory.<\/p>\n Lance Morris has been overlooked for his Test debut.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty Images<\/cite><\/p>\n While the 60,000-seat state-of-the-art stadium attracted crowds of 43,000 and 53,000 for Big Bash finals matches last season, only 15,000 are expected on Thursday after earlier optimistic estimates of 20,000 and 25,000.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you\u2019re talking about World Cup finals, it\u2019s the pinnacle,\u201d Cummins said. \u201cWe\u2019re still on a high from that, it\u2019s not going to get much better from that, but I\u2019m sure it\u2019s going to be well supported here.<\/p>\n \u201cSome of the Test matches you play in Australia, you might not get the packed stadium, but there\u2019s going to be millions of people watching. It\u2019s kind of the start of their summer, that first ball of the first Test match.\u201d<\/p>\n Pakistan are expected to play an all-pace attack, with Salman Agha offering part-time spin.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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