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Travis Head Named Australia's Co Vice-Captain, Steve Smith's Career In Jeopardy?

image-lq3ire8cTravis Head (Twitter)

Travis Head continued his remarkable ascent among Australian cricket's elite with the appointment as a co vice-captain alongside Steve Smith to regular skipper Pat Cummins for the three-match Test series against Pakistan, starting Thursday (December 14). 

The aggressive left-hander, who proved integral to Australia's maiden World Test Championship (WTC) triumph in June with a match-winning century against India in the final at The Oval, has been rewarded for his prolific performances over the past two years, having previously also donned the deputy's hat in the Test set-up. 

Head was named former captain Tim Paine's co vice-captain during the 2018-19 transition period post the controversial ball-tampering saga and now returns in the role under Cummins after enjoying a memorable 24 months with the bat across formats for Australia. 

Head Named Co Vice-Captain For Pakistan Tests 

Becoming integral to Australia's middle-order finally after initial struggles to grasp the rigours of the Test match game, Head compiled 1,389 runs over 18 Tests in the previous cycle of the WTC, including a terrific knock of 163 off 174 balls on Day 1 of the marquee finale against India at the Oval, averaging 55.56 with a strike-rate of 81.80 for his four centuries and six half-centuries. 

The 29-year-old made his presence felt on the Ashes trip that followed by making 362 runs over five Tests in Australia's impressive 2-2 series scoreline, which helped retain the prestigious urn. He recently also made a century in the ICC World Cup 2023 final victory in Ahmedabad. 

"Really excited to have Trav on board as the co-vice-captain," Cummins told the press before the first Test in Perth, backing Head as a future captaincy material. 

"He's been playing for a long time. He's always been a leader in our group. So we thought it was a good time to formally recognise that."

"Whilst nothing's imminent, Steve's not going to play forever. I daresay I'm not going to captain forever. So we feel like we've got some responsibility to future-proof the team and start trying to give opportunities to other leaders," he added.