Australian batter Travis Head has thrown a surprising new spin on one of the most talked-about off-field moments of the ongoing Ashes 2025-26, stating he was “actually jealous” of England’s controversial mid-series trip to Noosa.
Travis Head’s comments come in defense of Ben Duckett and England’s mid-series trip to Noosa, saying the whole issue has been made much bigger than it needed to be. He feels the controversy grew more because of outside noise than any real problem with England’s actions.
Revisiting England’s Controversial Noosa Break: Ben Duckett and Public Scrutiny
The controversy exploded after England’s defeat at Lord’s against Australia. Instead of having a traditional training camp, Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes’ team decided to spend a short break in the holiday town of Noosa to refresh themselves despite being already down 2-0 in the Ashes.
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This decision sparked immediate criticism about their commitment. Unfortunately, England’s plan did not work on the field, as they went on to lose the third Test and the Ashes 2025-26.
The controversy intensified when a video from the trip, reportedly showing players including Ben Duckett, circulated online where they were seen drunk. This led the ECB to launch an investigation into the episode.
Travis Head’s “I’m Jealous” Admission Goes Viral
Speaking after Australia’s two-day loss in the Boxing Day Test on a heavily criticized MCG pitch, Head made it clear that he did not see anything wrong with England taking a short break.
Head even joked that he felt a bit jealous of England getting a short getaway during such a tough tour. The Australian batter said it was disappointing to see the video shared, as it came from an English fan.
Travis Head said with a laugh, “I’m jealous. Everyone else has made a lot more out of it than I think it should have been. We’ve done the same thing on past tours, so I didn’t have an issue with it. It was from one of his own as well… it was an English fan, which is a bit stiff.”
Ashes Rivalry Takes a Backseat as Head Stands Up for Duckett
Travis Head also revealed that he personally contacted Duckett before the Boxing Day Test at the MCG to check if he was doing okay. At the end, the explosive Australian batter reminded everyone that cricketers are still normal people and deserve privacy in their personal time.
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Head signed off by saying, “I get along with Ducky well and reached out to him to see if he was going all right. Everyone is still human, and what you do in your personal time is up to you.
I know we live a high-profile life, and some people are more high-profile than others and get themselves in situations, but at the end of the day it’s a bit stiff. I don’t think there’s been any real issue since that, and it’s something to talk about.”
Here is the video:
“I didn’t have an issue with it.”
Travis Head has his say on Ben Duckett and the infamous Noosa trip #Ashes pic.twitter.com/AX3pHh0yVt
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 28, 2025
