As if a Test recall isn’t exciting enough, Travis Head couldn’t be happier to be preparing to line-up in Wednesday’s Ashes opener in Brisbane alongside Alex Carey.
The South Australian pair are close friends and with Carey to debut at the Gabba in the first Test against England, the occasion looms as a special moment for both players.
Head also has no concerns about Carey’s ability to handle Test cricket after he was chosen to fill the wicketkeeping vacancy following Tim Paine’s decision to step away from the game for a period following the sexting scandal which forced the Tasmanian to resign as captain.
“We live around the corner from each other,” Head said.
“We’re best mates. Can’t wait for it, it’s going to be an awesome experience.
“Obviously Adelaide (the second Test venue) playing in front of the home fans is going to be awesome as well.”
The decision by selectors to make it clear Carey would be the man to replace Paine early has also been given approval by Head, who believes it will allow the 30-year-old to focus solely on his game rather than dealing with a selection to-and-fro leading into the Test.
“He’s in a great space. He’s worked extremely hard on it, there’s been a lot talked about his form running into this series but with 100 that last game, in the one-dayer, it just shows he’s been working extremely hard,” Head said.
“This opportunity, just knowing that he’s in, I think leading into that there was a lot of talk around spots and whatnot.
“Now he knows he’s in, he can relax, go out and play the way Alex just does.
“He can take a lot of games away from teams over his, hopefully, long Test career.”
Both teams will have a final look at the Gabba pitch on Tuesday during final training sessions at the venue before Wednesday’s first day of play.
The forecast for the game is problematic with scattered showers and thunderstorms forecast for days one to three before a brighter outlook on Saturday.
More showers and storms are forecast for Sunday, making the potential for rain delays throughout the match highly likely.
“Patty (Cummins) and JL (Justin Langer) will come down and look at the wicket and we’ll prepare the best way we can to either bat well or bowl well on day one,” Head said.
“It’s a really good wicket here. We’ve seen that over a long period of time in Test match cricket. Shield cricket has its challenges sometimes but I think all-in-all it’s a really good wicket regardless of what we do first.”
By Ed Jackson in Brisbane
Get all the latest Canberra news, sport, entertainment, lifestyle, competitions and more delivered straight to your inbox with the Canberra Daily Daily Newsletter. Sign up here.
