Star Australian batter Travis Head has announced that he will limit his participation in franchise cricket to the Indian Premier League (IPL) to avoid burnout. Emphasizing the importance of Test cricket for Australia, the left-hander expressed his desire to stay as fresh as possible for the format.
Head, who was signed by SunRisers Hyderabad for ₹6.80 crore ahead of the 2024 IPL season, emerged as one of their standout players and has been retained for the 2025 edition. While he played for Washington Freedom in the Major League Cricket last year, he decided to skip the 2024-25 Big Bash League season.
Ahead of the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle, Head highlighted the significance of taking breaks to recharge and remain prepared for crucial international commitments. In an interview with ‘The Sydney Morning Herald’, he remarked:
“I won’t play franchise cricket other than IPL. Big Bash will be the third team I play for, so I won’t play anything other than that at this stage, and I think that gives me the opportunity to have that time off.”
“It’s pretty hard to have those eight days off and then play MLC in a couple of months’ time or the Hundred. So I understand that and I’m very lucky to have those seven days off on this tour and Test cricket’s the most important thing at the moment for us as a group. So I want to put as much effort as I can into that.”
“I Felt Exhausted” – Travis Head Reflects on Australia’s Test Series Against India
Head acknowledged that he required the break after the intense five-match Test series against India at home in order to be ready for the Sri Lanka series. The 31-year-old mentioned that while he would have enjoyed playing in the BBL, spending time with his young family was just as important.
“I needed the break, I was pretty cooked and I was pretty vocal about that, but now I’m feeling good. I’d love to be able to play Big Bash, with our schedule at the moment it’s somewhat tough with a young family but with CA and the guys above it’s been pretty clear on the plan where they want us and what I do play.”
“Yes, it’s disappointing, yes, I’d love to be able to be involved [in the BBL], but I feel like putting myself in the best position to play well in the next couple of weeks is the most important thing for us and also with a young family being able to give back a bit there,” he added.
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