Praising the current forms of Travis Head and Aaron Finch, Australian head coach Justin Langer has confirmed their place in the playing XI against Pakistan in the first Test starting from October 7. Both Head and Finch are among the 5 uncapped cricketers who were named for this series and are set to make their debuts for Australia in whites.
Langer, who is on his first Test assignment since replacing Darren Lehman, stated that he never had the doubt about their certainties to play. He said,
“His [Travis Head] improvement over the last … six months is absolutely amazing. He's starting to look like an AFL (Australian Football League) player, he's really fit. The way he's adapted his game and improved his game, particularly against spin. He played brilliantly in the Australia A stuff, he's really impressive and he deserves to have a Baggy Green cap.”
At the same time, the Aussie head coach is excited to watch Aaron Finch batting in Test cricket.
“I can't wait to see him [Finch] play Test cricket. He's been brilliant in white-ball cricket over the last few years, he's got the temperament for international cricket. He's playing really well. He's one of the leaders of our group,” said Langer.
Speaking about Matt Renshaw’s chances to play the first game, Langer stated that he would be fine soon. The Australian batsman was hit on the helmet during the warm-up match against Pakistan A after which he was ruled out midway.
As far as the bowling department is concerned, Langer is counting on the experience of Peter Siddle. It is likely to be a toss-up between him and Michael Neser, who put on a decent performance against Pakistan A.