Australian batsman Travis Head has given a surprising new twist on one of the most talked-about off-field moments of the ongoing Ashes 2025-26, saying he was “really jealous” of England’s controversial mid-series trip to Noosa.
Travis Head’s comments came in defense of Ben Duckett and England’s mid-series trip to Noosa, saying the whole issue had been blown out of proportion. He believes that the controversy arose more from outside noise than from any real problem with England’s actions.
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The controversy escalated after England’s defeat against Australia at Lord’s. Instead of 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 already being 2-0 down in the Ashes.
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This decision led to immediate criticism of his commitment. Unfortunately, England’s plan did not work on the field, as they lost the third Test and the Ashes 2025-26.
The controversy escalated when a video of the trip, purportedly showing players, including Ben Duckett, circulating online in which they were seen intoxicated. After this the ECB started investigating this matter.
Travis Head’s “I’m jealous” confession goes viral
Speaking after Australia’s two-day defeat on the heavily criticized MCG pitch in the Boxing Day Test, Head made it clear he saw nothing wrong with England taking a short break.
Head also joked that he was a little jealous of England getting some time off during such a tough tour. The Australian batsman 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 way more than I think they should have made. We’ve done the same thing on previous tours, so I’m okay with that. It was from one of their own fans… It was an English fan, which is a bit harsh.”
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Travis Head also revealed that he had personally contacted Duckett before the Boxing Day Test at the MCG to find out if he was okay. Lastly, the explosive Australian batsman 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’ve got on well with Ducky and reached out to him to see if he’s doing everything OK. 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 adapt themselves to situations, but at the end of the day it is a little tough. I don’t think there’s been any real issue since then, and it’s something worth talking about.”
Here is the video:
“I had no problem with it.”
Travis Head speaks out on Ben Duckett and the infamous Noosa Tour #ash pic.twitter.com/AX3pHh0yVt
– cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) 28 December 2025
