Cricket Australia hesitant to grant Travis Head a NOC for MLC 2024 stint - Reports
Cricket Australia (CA) is reportedly unwilling to grant Travis Head a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to participate in the 2024 Major League Cricket (MLC) in the United States of America (USA). The second edition of the tournament is scheduled to take place right after the culmination of the 2024 T20 World Cup.
The 2024 MLC will see a massive batch of Australians incoming after a successful first season last year. The likes of Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, and Pat Cummins are some of the players that will jump on the American bandwagon, which will be red-hot right after co-hosting the World Cup.
Travis Head was also part of the Australian contingent for the tournament. He was roped in by the Washington Freedom, who have Ricky Ponting as their head coach and fellow Australian Steve Smith as one of the players.
However, keeping an eye on the upcoming workload, which includes a challenging five-match Test series at the end of the year against India, the CA is skeptical over Head's participation in the MLC.
Furthermore, Head's recent red-ball displays in the home series against Pakistan and the West Indies and the tour of New Zealand have not been up to the mark. He averages only 24.78 after eight Test innings in 2024, which strangely includes a ton as well as a king pair.
“We typically support players pursuing opportunities outside the Australian season where the international schedule, playing loads and fitness allows. However, each NOC request is assessed on an individual basis as will be the case coming out of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.” a CA spokesperson told The Age.
It is to be noted that Head also played the entire 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) season for the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH).
Australia have a busy season ahead to keep all-format Head occupied
The Aussies' first international assignment post the 2024 T20 World Cup comes in the form of a white-ball tour of Scotland and England. They will begin their home season with a white-ball series against Pakistan before the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India.
The 2024 MLC is set to take place from July 6 to July 29. Defending champions MI New York will take on the Seattle Orcas in the repeat from last year's final.