"Brook could put a hole in me if I bowl a couple in" - Travis Head on whether he will be seen bowling in the Ashes
Travis Head isn't sure whether he would be asked to roll his arm over in the ongoing Ashes considering the ultra-aggressive approach of the England batters.
Australia used just five bowlers, with Nathan Lyon as the only spinner, in the first Test at Edgbaston in Birmingham. England scored at more than five and four runs per over in the first and second innings respectively but eventually lost the game by two wickets to go 1-0 down in the five-match series.
During an interaction on 'The Unplayable Podcast', Head was asked whether he will be seen bowling in the Ashes, to which he responded:
"With how hard they are going, I am not sure about it. (Harry) Brook could put a hole in me if I bowl a couple in. I have bowled a little bit at training, not too much. I am just concentrating on my batting at the moment. Again, I have always said, if they need it. I actually did like how dry the wicket was and how much rough."
While stating that he is always willing to bowl if required, the part-time off-spinner highlighted that Lyon is doing an exceptional job:
"Maybe Manchester, we saw Marnus (Labuschagne) get a little bowl in 2019 and win us the game and I had one over in that game as well but with the amount that Gazza (Nathan Lyon) is bowling, I think Pat (Cummins) said at one stage he might have given me a role the other day but we will wait and see. I think Gazza is doing a beautiful job at the moment."
Marnus Labuschagne dismissed Jack Leach, the ninth England wicket to fall, in the nail-biting final session on the last day of the 2019 Manchester Test. Josh Hazlewood then dismissed Craig Overton to seal a 185-run win for Australia.
"He has had an exceptional couple of years" - Travis Head on Nathan Lyon
Travis Head was further asked whether Nathan Lyon is getting better and better as he is closing in on 500 Test wickets, to which he replied:
"What was he, 400 in Brisbane, that's the last Ashes. Two years later and we are seeing him close in on 500. He has had an exceptional couple of years. This is a great test for him as well because no team has played him like this."
Head concluded by praising Lyon for delivering the goods despite the English batters taking the attack to him:
"He is normally our banker, he is normally someone that sits in and goes at just over two an over and we can rotate our quicks. It was interesting to see how they attacked him and the success he had with it. 500 Test wickets is amazing, he still has a lot of time left in him I think."
Lyon picked up eight wickets across England's two innings of the Edgbaston Test. He also scored a crucial unbeaten 16 in the second innings and strung an unbroken 55-run ninth-wicket partnership with Pat Cummins to take the visitors across the line.