This was when he did the offensive celebration, as he pointed one finger to his other hand which was somewhat forming a circle. Initially, a lot of people criticised this behaviour before Cummins and the broadcasters could explain it.

“Oh, sorry! Yes, okay! I can explain that. His finger is so hot, that he is going to put it in a cup of ice. Yes, that’s what it is. That’s normally the running joke. Was it at the Gabba or somewhere, where he got a wicket as well and just got straight to the fridge, grabs a bucket of ice, puts his finger in and just walks in front of Lyno (Nathan Lyon). Just like that, thinks its very funny. So that’s what it would have been, nothing else,” Par Cummins said in the post-match conference.

Former Indian cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu was massively disappointed with this celebration, and called it ‘obnoxious’ behaviour. He has also made request for a massive punishment for Head, since he believed that the gesture by the Australian bowler was not an insult to an individual but to the whole nation.

“Travis head’s obnoxious behaviour during the course of the Melbourne test doesn’t auger well for for the gentleman’s game…… sets the worst possible example when there are kids, women , young & old watching the game……. this caustic conduct did not insult an individual but a nation of 1.5 billion Indians……stringent punishment that would serve a deterrent for the future generations needs to be slapped on him so that no one dares follow suit,” Sidhu wrote on X formerly known as Twitter.

Australia won the Boxing-Day Test by 184 runs, and will now be entering the Sydney for the final Test of the five-match Test series with a 2-1 lead. They have a high chance of winning this series and secure their place in the finals of the World Test Championship.

The post ‘Did not insult an Individual but…’: Indian legend demands Travis Head to be strictly punished for ‘Questionable’ celebration appeared first on Cricket Country.

Bumrah had a sensational year for India in red-ball cricket picking up 71 wickets from 13 Tests at an unbelievable average of 14.92. He has taken 15 wickets in the T20I format too. The pacer has been terrific for India in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar series, picking up 30 wickets.

Root, Brook and Mendis have also been incredible in the longest format of the game this year, scoring 1556, 1100 and 1049 runs respectively.

However, 1 name missing from the nomination list was that of India’s Yashasvi Jaiswal, who was the second-highest scorer in Test cricket this year with 1478 runs. The left-handed batter remained in fine form throughout the year and played some memorable knocks in the longest format, but still wasn’t nominated for the award.

Bumrah’s name has also been shortlisted for the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy alongside Root, Brook and Australia’s Travis Head.

The post Jasprit Bumrah nominated for Test cricketer of the year award, Yashasvi Jaiswal snubbed appeared first on Cricket Country.

Head was Bumrah’s second wicket of the day after he had already dismissed Usman Khawaja earlier in the day. The pacer also would go on to dismiss Mitchell Marsh later on in the day to get India back into the game.

Coming back to Head’s wicket, Bumrah bowled a brilliant good-length delivery from around the wicket that jagged back into the left-hander after pitching slightly outside the off-stump. Head wasn’t able to judge the bounce of the delivery and this mistake ended up shattering his stumps.

This was nothing short of a huge wicket for the Men in Blue as Head had terrorized their bowling lineup during the last 2 Tests which were held in Adelaide and Brisbane respectively.

The batter once again could have taken the game away from India if they had let him settle on the field, however Bumrah had other plans and ended up implementing them perfectly.

The post WATCH: Travis Head’s brain-fade moment sees him get clean-bowled by Jasprit Bumrah appeared first on Cricket Country.

On December 34, Head coach Andrew McDonald had accepted that there is a fitness concern around Head, but skipper Pat Cummins named him in the Playing XI on the eve of the Boxing Day Test. After he sustained a quad strain at the Gabba Test, the Southpaw has cleared the fitness test. However, Cummins has stated that they might have to manage when he is fielding.

“Trav’s good to go, he’ll play,” Cummins told the media on Christmas Day. “He just ticked off some final things today and yesterday. But no worries about injury with Trav. He’ll go into the game fully fit,”

“I don’t think you’ll see too much management of him throughout the game. He just kind of plays as is. Maybe around fielding, if he’s a bit uncomfortable, we will (manage him), but he’s fully fit.”

Travis Head, who usually fields at forward square leg when the spinners are operating, might turn out to field at a different position at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). The pitch of the field is likely to assist spinners and Nathan Lyon is expected to bowl a lot more overs, especially in the last days of the match.

The post Pat Cummins confirms Travis Head’s appearance for Boxing Day Test: Provides Massive fitness update appeared first on Cricket Country.

“Head’s performances against Jasprit Bumrah in this series exemplify his fearless approach. While most batsmen struggle to survive Bumrah’s unorthodox action, sharp pace, and relentless accuracy, Head has treated him like any other bowler,” Chappell wrote in his column for the Sydney Morning Herald.

Even though Head has been very successful, Bumrah has dismissed Head toe times in the current ongoing series. After score of 89 in Perth and 141 in Adelaide, Head has been in brilliant form. Australia had won the pink-ball Test all thanks to his match turning century.

Since Head has gotten used to the aggressive style of the match to turn the tables, Chappell believes that Head’s aggressive style has worked well in not letting Bumrah settle.

“By playing with intent and looking to score off Bumrah, Head has not only nullified his threat but also disrupted his rhythm. His ability to dispatch short deliveries with authority and drive fuller ones with precision has been remarkable, underscoring the strides he has made,” Chappell concluded.

The series is currently levelled 1-1, ,with the Gabba Test coming out as a draw due to rain. India and Australia will now lock horns against each other in the Boxing-day Test in Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), set to begin December 26.

The post “Ability to dispatch…:: Australian legend speaks about Travis Head being ‘Fearless’ against Indian ace Jasprit Bumrah appeared first on Cricket Country.

According to Sydney Morning Herald, the batter is going to prove his fitness on Tuesday December 24, which is two days before the important Boxing-Day Test.
However, the same Sydney Morning Herald report also stated about Head not coming to train on Monday. The report cited the team spokesperson who said that the practice session was “optional.”

Travis Head is currently in his peak form in the ongoing five-match Test series. He has scored 409 runs at an average of 81.2. He scored a century in the pink-ball Test, scoring 140 runs that helped Australia register a 10-wicket win in Adelaide.

He then came out and scored another century at the Gabba stadium, as he scored 152 runs. He had previously scored 89 runs in the second innings of the Perth Test where Australia had lost by 295 runs.

The five-match Test series is currently levelled 1-1 as the third Test match ended in a draw. Both teams will now focus to win the fourth Tests in order to qualify for the World test Championship (WTC) finals, set to take place in England in 2025.

The post Australia star missed Practice sessions before Boxing Day Test- Sparks curiosity about missing the 4th Test appeared first on Cricket Country.

Indian skipper Rohit Sharma and bowlers have been blamed for letting Travis Head settle on the ground and not attacking him with enough attack power. Before the Boxing Day Test, Akash Deep revealed that the team has a plan to prevent Travis from getting comfortable on the pitch. However he does not want to reveal that starategy to the media.

“Jo plan hai wo nahi bata sakte, wo bhi tayyar ho jayenge (We can’t reveal our plans, as they’ll prepare accordingly),” Akash told the reporters after training at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).

“As fast bowlers, we will stick to the same deliveries and maintain discipline in our bowling. We will bowl from both over and around the wicket, assess the pitch and conditions, and plan accordingly,” he added.

Akash has taken three wickets in the Gabba Test. He gave out better result on Day 5, and took a couple of wickets. In the batting department, he scored 31 runs and shared an important partnership wit Jasprit Bumrah.

The post ‘Plan nahi bata sakte…’: Akash Deep shares his confidence on Indian pacers not letting Travis Head settle on the Pitch appeared first on Cricket Country.

The left-hander sustained a groin injury and didn’t come out to field during India’s second innings on the final day of the Test. This could be a major turning point in the series as an injury to Travis Head can prove to be fatal for the Aussies heading into the Melbourne Test.

Head was the star performer for Australia in their dominant 10-wicket win over India in Adelaide, playing a fantastic knock of 140 which took his side to a very strong position in the Test.

The 30-year-old once again shined in the Brisbane Test and scored a brilliant 152 to carry Australia to a humongous first inning total of 445. With the knock, he also completed his second consecutive century of the series.

Head was struggling with his groin while batting alongside Alex Carey on the fifth day of Brisbane Test. On many occasions, the batter was also seen moving uncomfortably. Former India cricketer Ravi Shastri described the situation as a “body blow” for Australia, with only a week remaining until the Boxing Day Test.

“This whole series is on the line and that’s the last thing Australia want … let’s hope it’s a niggle and seven days is enough,” Shastri said.

Former Australia cricketer Brad Haddin stated that Head’s potential absence would be a bigger blow to the team than Hazlewood and labelled the former as Australia’s ‘shining light’ with the bat.

“It doesn’t look good … this is a bigger loss than Josh Hazlewood, if Travis Head is out of this series (it’s huge), he’s been the one shining light with the bat. He’s very reluctant to stretch out and that’s really bad signs for the Aussies,” Haddin said.

With the Brisbane Test ending in a draw, the series remains level on 1-1 after the end of 3 matches. All eyes now will be on the upcoming Boxing Day Test which will be held in Melbourne from December 26.

The post Travis Head to be ruled out of Melbourne Test? Batter’s groin injury rocks Australia appeared first on Cricket Country.

The players not being able to go on the field was not because of the rain. Australian openers Nathan McSweeney and Usman Khawaja looked ready to go out, and Akash Deep was already making his run-up when the warning was shown on the screen at stadium.

“Severe weather is expected any moment. Please seek shelter from exposed areas of the venue and follow the directions of event staff,” said the warning message on the big screen.

As players were waiting for the rain to stop, former international umpire Simon Taufel explained on 7Cricket‘s broadcast that the umpires have a 30/30 rule which they have to follow as part of the protocol.

According to the protocol, if in any case the umpires witness 2 bolts of lighting or hear two different roars of thunderstorm within 30 seconds, they are to force the game to be stopped and head back to dressing rom citing player’s safety.

The post Not Rain! Australia’s second innings got Delayed due to THIS reason as Players got told to seek Shelter early on Day 5 appeared first on Cricket Country.

One such instance was when Akash Deep tried a slog sweep to a delivery by Nathan Lyon, but the ball got stuck and went completely inside his pad of the left leg. Travis Head was coming to grab the ball when Akash took the ball out and threw it on the ground. The Indian cricketer did not notice Travis, who had thought he will be handed the ball as he reached his hand out. This led to a small conversation between the two.

However, the situation did not go any bad route, as Akash was quick to humbly apologise and move on with the game. Later on, Travis Head was the player himself who dismissed Akash Deep and put an end to India’s first innings.

Don't think Travis Head loved that 😂#AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/XzR6kIJZu5

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 18, 2024

Coming to the match, the Day 5 began as India resumed their innings from 252/9 and added 8 runs in 24 balls.

The post WATCH: Akash Deep apologises to Travis Head after a small mix-up during Gabba Test appeared first on Cricket Country.