Why Ponting would love Head to keep opening

Ponting defended Khawaja over the back spasms that derailed him in Perth, saying all batsmen suffer from them from time to time and it had nothing to do with playing golf ahead of the Test.

“I know a lot has been made about golf and things like that,” Ponting said. “He might have played golf before every Test match he played. Bad timing to have a back spasm.”

“Someone said the other day, what if he gets a back spasm after going for a 6-mile run, are we talking about that instead of a 6-mile walk on the golf course?

“I went through this the day before a Test match, I went through it in the middle of a Test match, you can’t move and these are terrible things. I think it was just bad timing and bad luck for him.”

“I don’t think they are [the selectors] they will make any changes and they probably shouldn’t. You wouldn’t think they would make any changes because they are now one nil ahead.

“Whether Khawaja can make it to Sydney depends on how many runs he makes in Brisbane if he plays. The only currency you have is runs and if you’re not getting runs then you leave yourself open to scrutiny and someone taking your place.”

Speaking on Seven’s review show earlier on Sunday, Ponting added that Head could make a similar impact at third, a position the former skipper is well familiar with after playing 32 of 41 Tests there.

“He doesn’t have to open the game like that anywhere in the top three,” Ponting said.

Loading

“The number three batsman has always been viewed as a counter hitter, someone who can come out and be aggressive and change the momentum.

“He can do that regardless of what position he bats at. Will it happen? I don’t think so. But as a fan, I would definitely love to see that. As a cricket fan, an Australian cricket fan, I would love to see them do that and see if we can really break England early.”

News, results and expert analysis from the sports weekend are delivered every Monday. Sign up for our sports newsletter.