"Hopefully he doesn’t waste too many more runs over there and can save some for us" - Warner on Head's form in the IPL
Veteran Australian opener David Warner recently spoke about Travis Head's red-hot form in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL). Although the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) batter has been dismissed for consecutive ducks, his impact and fear factor throughout the tournament cannot be ignored.
The left-handed pair will open the innings for Australia in the upcoming 2024 T20 World Cup in June in the Caribbean and the United States of America (USA).
Head has scored 533 runs in 13 innings at a strike rate of 199.63, and has forged an excellent chemistry with Abhishek Sharma at the top of the order. The pair have demolished bowling attacks left and right over the course of the tournament, and Warner hopes that Head can translate that form into the T20 World Cup, and do the same for the Men in Yellow as well.
“Hopefully he doesn’t waste too many more runs over there and can save some for us. Hopefully he can finish his tournament off well there and bring some of that success to our team," Warner told the Sydney Morning Herald.
Travis Head will be seen in action in the Qualifer 2 clash of the 2024 IPL against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Friday, May 24.
"He asks a lot of questions and he loves the game, which is great" - Warner on Jake Fraser-McGurk
Youngster Jake Fraser-McGurk's arrival onto the big stage is one of the stories of IPL 2024. Touted as Warner's successor, the explosive opening batter threatened to claim the veteran's spot in the squad, but has been named as a travelling reserve for the 2024 T20 World Cup for now.
Fraser-McGurk shared the dressing room with David Warner while playing for the Delhi Capitals (DC), and eventually claimed his spot at the top of the order as well. He had a breakthrough season, scoring 330 runs at a strike rate of 234.04.
Warner praised Fraser-McGurk's curiosity and backed him to feature in Australia's white-ball tour of England in September.
"The experience for him (at the T20 World Cup) will be great and being around the guys and the group where potentially I feel like he’ll probably go on that England tour in late August," Warner said.
“As a young kid, he understands what the game’s about, what it’s like to be around the group as a team player. He asks a lot of questions and he loves the game, which is great,” Warner added.
The upcoming 2024 T20 World Cup will mark Warner's final international endeavor, after having already announced his retirement from Tests and ODIs at the start of the year.