- By Gurmeet Batra
- Mon, 03 Nov 2025 01:56 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
India vs Australia T20I Series: Australia's explosive batter Travis Head has been released from the T20I squad for the remaining two matches against India to play in the Sheffield Shield ahead of preparations for the Ashes.
Head will play alongside teammate Alex Carey for South Australia against Tasmania here from November 10 in a bid to prepare for the red format ahead of the first Ashes Test starting November 21 in Perth.
The match will mark his first appearance in a first-class match since the tour of the West Indies in July. The 31-year-old left-hander has been going through a lean patch in the white-ball cricket over the last month, with the highest score of 31 runs in eight innings across T20Is and ODIs after making 142 against South Africa in August.
With the release, Head became the third member of Australia's T20I squad to opt to prioritise preparation for the five-Test campaign against England.
Pacers Josh Hazlewood and Sean Abbott, having both faced India over the course of the first three matches of the T20 series, have been released from the squad. The duo will now turn out for New South Wales in a star-studded clash with Victoria at the SCG.
The selectors left the judgment on whether to play in the Shield or the final two T20Is against India to Head himself, but he chose to feature in the domestic competition, according to a report in cricket.com.au.
The report also said that every member of Australia's likely squad for the first Ashes Test will participate in the next round of the Sheffield Shield.
Head played one early round of the Sheffield Shield, directing into last summer's Border-Gavaskar Trophy series and ended the series as its highest run getter.
The ongoing five-match series between India and Australia are currently tied at 1-1 after three matches. The last two matches will be played at the Bill Pippen Oval in the Gold Coast (November 6) and at The Gabba in Brisbane (November 8).