Travis Head defends his teammates amid criticism [Source: AFP]Travis Head, the destructive batter, has fired shots at former Australian players for criticising the current Test cricketers, with the focus mainly on Nic Maddinson, whose selection in the Test side drew massive criticism.The Australian Test team sits at top of the WTC points table, but the team has been going through a turmoil. Moreover, their recent Test squad selection for the South African series came under scrutiny, especially from Matthew Hayden, who slammed the selectors for picking undeserving players.Head defends his teammates amid outside noiseMaddinson, 34, last played a Test match for the Baggy Green side in 2016, almost ten years ago. Since then, he has not been considered for red-ball cricket, and Hayden was critical of his selection, as he took a dig at the Australian selectors.Indirectly responding to the criticism that Nic Maddinson has received after his selection, this is what Head had to say to the reporters:“I think it’s unfairly judged a fair bit from a group of past players, pretty much that put the bullet through a lot of players, which I think is unfair,” Head said. “But that’s what they’re paid to do. Some of them need a job, so they go after us, and that’s totally fine.ALSO READTravis Head Reveals Ball Tampering Saga In Australian Domestic Cricket“This group is strong enough to deal with those sorts of things. That’s how it is. It’s unfortunate sometimes to have some of that feedback from a generation of players that we have huge respect for, but that’s the caper," the Aussie opener said, as quoted by The Age.Why Maddinson's selection received heavy criticismAustralian selectors sprung a surprise when Maddinson was drafted back into the team after ten years, and interestingly, he wasn’t picked on the basis of his domestic performance.The Australian batter hasn’t played a first-class match since March 2025, and he missed the entire 2025-26 Sheffield Shield season. Matthew Hayden was critical because he felt the players who are toiling hard in the domestic circuit and on the India A tour were snubbed for Test selection.Moreover, the left-handed batter doesn’t possess a good Test or first-class record to be considered for red-ball selection. In three Tests, he has only accumulated 27 runs, with an average of 6.75.Interestingly, even his first-class record is average, to say the least. In 129 matches, he has scored 7832 runs, with an average of 37.11.ALSO READIndia A Players Lead To India ODI Squad Announcement Delay
