Australia batter Travis Head has said England are “going to live by the sword or die by the sword” having decided not to send senior players to play a two-day pink ball match in Canberra.

The match against the Prime Minister’s XI begins on Saturday, and none of the players who featured in the first Test are heading to the Australian capital.

The day-night match will largely be contested by England Lions squad, although players who didn’t play in Perth have joined up with the group for the fixture.

The decision by England management has drawn criticism from the English media, with BBC Chief Cricket Commentator Jonathan Agnew saying England will be “held to account” if they preparation for the second Test backfires.

“You can either change the script and say, ‘we’re going to train’, or you can double down and go, ‘we’ve had this planned out, we know exactly how we want to go for five Tests’,” Head said.

“You’ve got to respect the fact they’ve been a good team, and I reckon they’ve got their plans and they’re doubling down.

“Credit to them, they’re going to live by the sword or die by the sword, and we’ll see where we’re at in Brisbane.”