Hollies in rearview mirror, but Head expecting more hostility

Travis Head copped it from all angles during the Ashes opener and although he does not expect the Lord's fans to prove as antagonistic as Edgbaston's, Australia's middle-order dynamo is preparing for another hostile reception from England's pace attack this week and beyond.

While Head stopped short of suggesting he had won over the famed Eric Hollies Stand, one of international cricket's rowdiest bays had undoubtedly warmed to the Australian after he fielded in front of it for much of a thrilling first Test.

The 29-year-old got little sympathy from his teammates but proved an increasingly popular figure after hurling beach balls back into the crowd and at one stage started a session by sprinting from the Australian changerooms to the Hollies' square boundary.

"I got the tap on the shoulder and got sent out there in the second innings, maybe because I can take it," Head told cricket.com.au's Unplayable Podcast.

"You've got to win them over quickly, otherwise you're in for a very long day.

"I copped my fair share – I didn't know 4,000 people knew me so well. I had 4,000 people behind me and 10 blokes in front of me all giving me stick. The boys enjoyed it."

The fact a more refined atmosphere awaits at the Home of Cricket matters less to Head than the characteristics of the Lord's pitch, which will almost certainly prove livelier than a Birmingham surface the Australians viewed as one of the flattest they have ever played on.

Head suggested the bouncer barrage and extreme fields set for him by Ben Stokes were far from surprising, pointing out England's bowling mentor David Saker had championed a similar approach against him in the Sheffield Shield when he was coaching Victoria.

But Head conceded he had never previously encountered the tactics employed by Stokes for the bowling of Moeen Ali, who dismissed the left-hander in both innings.

Their first innings was an intriguing strategic battle of wits; Head tonked Moeen for six fours and a six – the majority down the ground – on his way to a half-century, but Stokes stubbornly refused to drop either mid-on or mid-off back.

It paid off eventually, the England skipper essentially buying Head's wicket when he smeared one to midwicket. Moeen then got him again, for 16, in the second innings with a ball than spun sharply and was edged to slip.

"It was disappointing to get out, but it was just execution. I felt like it was there, I just got a bit close to it," said Head of his first-innings dismissal.

"But I was pleased I didn't overplay the situation. With having them (mid-on and mid-off) up, I could have quite easily been a lot more aggressive but I felt like I waited for my opportunities and picked them off slowly.

"He's got some beautiful balls in him as well, so I was conscious of running past one or being beaten by one, which in the second innings he bowled me a really nice ball. A really good battle."

Should Moeen miss the second Test due to a callused finger, it will change how England can attack Head.

The off-spinner's cover in the squad, Rehan Ahmed, a leggie, will not match-up as well against Head or any of the other lefties in the Australian team. Head said he was also preparing for the possibility of England instead playing four quicks, opening the door for speedster Mark Wood.

Wood's inclusion would give the hosts a significantly better bumper-bowling weapon against the visitors' top-order given his extra pace.

Head explained that he has encountered the tactic extensively at domestic level back home.

"With my scoring rate they were always going to come somewhere (different), whether it be wide with six or seven gullies and a couple of deep points, whether it's at my stumps with a stacked leg-side field, or bouncers with a stacked leg-side field," he said.

"They were the three plans I had in my head around where they were going to go, wicket depending.

"That's very similar to Shield cricket, very similar to what David Saker did at Victoria.

"Him in that camp, knowing how he goes about it and especially how Victoria have gone about in the past on my game, I had those three plans on what they were going to do.

"They picked that one and stuck with it, that's fine, I've worked hard at it.

"Obviously it's not ideal – I'd like for them to pitch it up and (allow him to) find ways of scoring. I'll just battle my way through it and I feel like that's going to be the series for me."

But Head believes the strategy could have a knock-on advantage for his teammates, particularly if Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith hit top gear after their rare double failures.

"I'll cop a barrage for four more Tests," he said. "(But) if I can take overs out of the bowlers, if I can bat time, which I feel like I did in the first innings, and if Marnus and 'Smudge' (Smith) put some time in as well and I come out and they have to go to that plan, hopefully it's exerted effort and blokes at the other end can benefit from that."

2023 Qantas Ashes Tour of the UK

First Test: Australia won by two wickets

Second Test: Wednesday June 28-Sunday July 2, Lord’s

Third Test: Thursday July 6-Monday July 10, Headingley

Fourth Test: Wednesday July 19-Sunday July 23, Old Trafford

Fifth Test: Thursday July 27-Monday 31, The Oval

Australia squad: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey (wk), Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wk), Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Todd Murphy, Michael Neser, Matthew Renshaw, Steve Smith (vc), Mitchell Starc, David Warner

England squad: Ben Stokes (c), James Anderson, Jonathan Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood