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Head prepared to open again for Australia | The Express Tribune
DOMINATING : Australia’s Travis Head celebrates after reaching his century. Photo: REUTERS
BRISBANE:
Australia’s Travis Head says he is prepared to open the batting once more against England during the ongoing Ashes series after his second innings display in the first test in Perth last week led the home side to an eight-wicket victory over the tourists.
Head smashed a century in 69 balls, the second fastest in Ashes history, on his way to a match-winning 123 runs after being drafted in as a late replacement for Usman Khawaja, when the regular top-order batter was unable to take to the field.
“I’m preparing for anything at this stage,” said Head upon his arrival in Brisbane on Sunday ahead of the second test, which starts on Thursday.
“There’s a fair bit to work through. But I’ve just got here and we haven’t had many conversations in the last week. It’s about spending some time out of the game, as much as you can.
“I’m just preparing for each test to play the best way I can, and wherever I line up I’m happy. If that’s what’s needed to win a test match and that’s what’s required, yeah I’m fine with it.”
The Australians went into the five-test series with question marks over their opening batters, and debutant Jake Weatherald was the latest to struggle, losing his wicket to Jofra Archer with the second ball of the first innings.
But Head believes his performance in the second innings underlined the need for test teams to be flexible with their batting line-ups and to adopt the approaches used in the shorter forms of the game.
“I feel I can play in any role, so I’m open to (opening), and it’s just trying to work out in-game and in moments when you may use that,” he said.
“But I think all options are on the table and have been for a long period of time, about where the team can potentially get better and where there’s opportunities to potentially win games of cricket in moments. I think it’s always been on the table.
Head said batting orders are “slightly overrated”.
“But the traditionalists will say that’s how it’s got to be,” he said.
“It’s ever evolving and we’ll see where we get to.”
Root ready for pink-ball
England batter Joe Root said he is confident of rediscovering his scoring touch and backed the team to embrace the challenge of their next pink-ball test against Australia after a drubbing by the hosts in the Ashes series opener.
England take on Australia in Brisbane from Thursday looking to respond strongly to their eight-wicket defeat inside two days in Perth, where Root was dismissed for zero in the first innings before falling for eight in the next.
“It’s pretty disappointing in terms of the numbers,” Root told reporters on Sunday.
“First innings, I thought it was a good ball. It’s one of those things you can get early on. You’ve got to try and find a way to get through that phase when it’s tricky at the start.
“And then second innings I thought my tempo was really good, made one mistake. You play a miss at that or it goes between the keeper and it slips for four, you never think of it again.
“I think it’s having a bit of realism, understanding, yes there are things that I might have done differently if I get an opportunity again, but also it’s not the end of the world.”
Former England captain Root has now gone 29 innings without a century against Australia in test matches Down Under, sparking criticism of his form, but the 34-year-old had no doubt about his ability to score again.
“I’m making sure I’m clear on how I want to construct an innings against the pink ball in these conditions, against this attack,” Root added.
“That’s what this week’s about … just readying yourself as best as possible, having good conversations around things on how we can work together and build those big partnerships that are going to set up games for us.”
Australia have won 13 of their 14 day-night tests with their only loss coming at the Gabba last year against West Indies, and Root questioned the need for a pink-ball Ashes test.
“It’s very successful and very popular here,” Root said.
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The Carolina Panthers created havoc for the Los Angeles Rams and received a boost from the sloppy weather as they defeated the best team in the NFC, 31-28.
Carolina notched its seventh win of the year. It’s the first time they have won at least seven games since the 2022 season when Matt Rhule, and eventually Steve Wilks, were at the helm. The Panthers also snapped the Rams’ six-game winning streak.
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Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young runs against the Los Angeles Rams during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025, in Charlotte, North Carolina (Rusty Jones/AP Photo)
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford entered the game as the NFL MVP favorite. It seemed like he was going to have a big game as he led the team down for a touchdown on the opening drive. At the time, it was his 28th touchdown pass without an interception, which broke an NFL record.
The good vibes didn’t last long as Stafford threw an interception on his next drive and later had a pick six to Panthers cornerback Mike Jackson. The Panthers’ defense then forced Stafford to fumble the ball on the Rams’ final drive, which sunk any hopes of them coming back to force overtime or win the game.
Panthers quarterback Bryce Young was 15-of-20 with 206 passing yards and three touchdown passes. He found rookie wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan for a 43-yard go-ahead touchdown with 6:34 left in the game. It was McMillan’s only catch of the game.
Carolina Panthers safety Nick Scott celebrates after intercepting a pass against the Los Angeles Rams during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025, in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Jacob Kupferman/AP Photo)
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Carolina’s Jalen Coker had four catches for 74 yards and a touchdown. Running back Chuba Hubbard had two catches for 41 yards and a touchdown. He also added 83 yards on the ground on 17 carries.
Stafford finished 18-of-28 with 243 passing yards and two touchdown passes. Both touchdowns were to Davante Adams, who finished with four catches for 58 yards.
The Panthers’ (7-6) win kept them in contention for the NFC South lead. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a higher winning percentage after their win over the Arizona Cardinals, moving to 7-5.
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The Rams’ grip on the conference was loosened. The loss meant the Chicago Bears have the best record in the NFC. Chicago defeated the Philadelphia Eagles on Black Friday.
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Kiffin became a hovering theme of the latter part of the college football season as his future at Mississippi became uncertain.
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That’s a wrap on the regular season. All 31 automatic bids have been decided. Next up is the Selection Show on Sunday at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN where the other 33 at-large teams along with the seeding will be revealed.
Volleyball seeds the top-eight teams in each region and the top four serve as first- and second-round hosts. The rest of the bracket is filled out to balance it competitively and geographically. The highest remaining seeds also host the regionals, and the 2025 Final Four is in Kansas City, Missouri, on Dec. 18 with the finals on Dec. 21.
Bracket watch
Pittsburgh’s win over Louisville, although much closer than the sweep would indicate, was still convincing enough to push the Panthers onto the top line as the final No. 1 seed. The other three top seeds — Nebraska, Kentucky and Texas — should be easy for the committee. The big discussion and decision-making will likely center around which teams slot as No. 2 seeds and which ones falls on the No. 3 line. That group includes teams such as Arizona State, Stanford, Louisville, Creighton, SMU, Wisconsin and Texas A&M with résumés that are so close; differentiating them won’t be easy.
The final spots for the right to host the first and second rounds will also take some time. Miami and USC seem to have played their way into the top 16 with good finishes to the regular season. Indiana slipped a bit down the stretch. The Hoosiers might just hold onto a spot in the top 16.
Top seedings
No. 1 seeds: Nebraska, Kentucky, Texas, Pittsburgh
No. 2 seeds: Arizona State, Texas A&M, Creighton, SMU
No. 3 seeds: Stanford, Wisconsin, Louisville, Purdue
No. 4 seeds: Miami, Minnesota, USC, Indiana
No. 5 seeds: Kansas, BYU, Baylor, Tennessee
No. 6 seeds: TCU, Kansas State, Colorado, Iowa State
No. 7 seeds: Penn State, UTEP, Western Kentucky, Northern Iowa
No. 8 seeds: Marquette, North Carolina, Florida, San Diego
Rest of the field (alphabetical): American, Arizona, Arkansas State, Campbell, UCLA, Cal Poly, Central Arkansas, Coppin State, Eastern Illinois, Fairfield, Florida A&M, Georgia Tech, High Point, Long Island, Loyola-Chicago, Maryland-Baltimore County, Northern Colorado, Princeton, Rice, St. Thomas, South Dakota State, South Florida, Stephen F. Austin, Toledo, Tulsa, Utah State, Utah Valley, Villanova, Western Kentucky, Wofford, Wright State, Xavier
(The rest of the field teams wouldn’t be seeded)
Bubble watch
The biggest change on the bubble in the season’s final weekend was Arizona playing itself into the field with two wins. The Wildcats beat Cincinnati in four sets Saturday in a match that became a de facto play-in game. The Bearcats’ two losses over the past three days were backbreaking. Oregon picked up a pair of wins, but beating Rutgers and Maryland weren’t enough to elevate the Ducks, who lack a significant nonconference victory and didn’t play the nonconference schedule of South Florida.
Last Four In: Georgia Tech, Villanova, Arizona, South Florida
First Four Out: Oregon, Cincinnati, Dayton, Missouri
Next Four Out: Auburn, Florida State, Pepperdine, James Madison
Conference breakdown
Big 12: 8
Big Ten: 8
ACC: 7
SEC: 5
Big East: 4
American: 3
CUSA: 2
Summit: 2
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