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Key Points

Travis Head says Australia is determined to rebound in the West Indies Test series after their WTC final loss to South Africa. The team will be without Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne for the first Test, giving Josh Inglis a chance to shine. Head believes Inglis is ready to step up despite limited experience. Australia aims to start the new WTC cycle strongly after their recent disappointment.

Key Points: Travis Head Motivated for Windies Tests After WTC Final Loss

  • Head urges Australia to move on from WTC loss
  • Steve Smith out with finger injury
  • Labuschagne dropped, Inglis gets chance
  • New WTC cycle begins with Windies series
3 min read

There's added motivation to go out there and play well: Head ahead of Windies Tests

Travis Head says Australia is eager to bounce back against West Indies following their WTC final defeat, with Smith and Labuschagne missing the first Test.

"There’s added motivation to go out there and play well. – Travis Head"

Bridgetown, June 23

After a setback in the World Test Championship (WTC) final against South Africa at Lord's, Australia batter Travis Head said the team has extra motivation to do well in the upcoming three-match Test series against West Indies starting on Wednesday.

Australia lost to the Proteas by five wickets and failed to defend their WTC title earlier this month. With the start of the new WTC cycle, Head wants his teammates not to dwell on the loss to the Proteas when they take on the Caribbean side.

"There's added motivation to go out there and play well. We didn't play well (against South Africa) and it's unfortunate. We put two years of hard work into one week and didn't quite go to plan and the opposition played really well, so there's another motivation," Head said of the first Test in Barbados.

"We've got two more years to build, and this is another first look at it so I think if you dwell on it for too long or if you look back you forget about what's moving forward.

"As hard as that is, we play so much cricket and are so used to that but of course we care and of course it's not ideal but at the end of the day you can't change it so you have to move on you have to get back on the horse and you have to play good cricket.

"I think a lot of guys are wanting to do that we've had a little bit of time to reflect and I've got time to prep and we're going to another Test series that we're hopeful to play well in," he added.

Australia will be without star batter Steve Smith for the opening Test against the West Indies, as the experienced right-hander continues to recover from the finger injury he sustained while fielding during the WTC final loss.

Also absent is former world No.1 Test batter Marnus Labuschagne, who has been dropped from the side. In their place, teenager Sam Konstas and batter Josh Inglis have been named in the squad for the first Test at Kensington Oval.

Head expressed confidence that Labuschagne will soon make his way back into the Test side and backed Inglis to make the most of his opportunity in Smith’s absence.

Inglis, who struck a century on debut against Sri Lanka earlier this year, has Head’s full support, with the left-hander believing the 30-year-old can once again deliver a strong performance.

"It feels like he's played a lot more than he has for Australia as he has been in the squad for a long time and he has been around the group for a long time," Head noted.

"Once he gets his extended stay on the team I think he will excel. He's been waiting for a good amount of time to get a crack and it's exciting for Josh."

- IANS

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Reader Comments

R
Rahul K.
Australia always bounces back strong after setbacks. Their bench strength is impressive - even without Smith and Labuschagne, they have quality players like Inglis waiting. Hope our Indian team is watching their resilience! 🇮🇳🏏
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Priya M.
Interesting to see Labuschagne dropped! Shows no one's place is safe in top teams. Hope BCCI also shows such boldness when our star players underperform. Too much emotional attachment sometimes hurts team balance.
A
Arjun S.
Head's attitude is what champions are made of! Instead of crying over spilled milk, they're focusing on next challenge. Meanwhile our fans still can't move on from WTC final loss 😅 Time to support our team in upcoming series!
S
Sneha R.
West Indies at home won't be easy pushovers! Their pace attack can trouble anyone. Hope this series is competitive - we need strong Test cricket everywhere, not just in India-Australia-England triangle.
V
Vikram J.
While I appreciate Australia's professionalism, sometimes their robotic approach lacks the passion we see in subcontinent cricket. Everything is so calculated - where's the raw emotion that makes cricket beautiful?
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Neha P.
Good to see new players getting chances! Hope Konstas gets debut - nothing like watching young talent bloom. Meanwhile in India, we're still debating whether to play 35+ veterans or give youngsters opportunity 🤔

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