Last Updated on 2 years ago by Charbel Coorey
With Steve Smith expected to move back to number four for the Tests against India, there is growing speculation Travis Head could open the batting. According to ESPNcricinfo, coach Andrew McDonald has maintained that Australia will stick with the same top six, meaning someone needs to shift up the order to partner Usman Khawaja at the top.
That could be Head. His latest effort – a scintillating 154* off 129 balls in the opening ODI against England – will have selectors hoping he can have a similar kind of impact David Warner had as opener in Tests.
Khawaja is in support of the move. Last week, the opener said Head might be best suited, with the confidence of performing well in white-ball cricket a key factor.
“I feel like Travis Head might be best suited,” Khawaja said, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo. “He’s obviously been very successful opening the batting in one-day cricket. The confidence transfers over. When you’re seeing the ball well, scoring lots of runs and not much is going through your head, it’s a great place to be.”
Travis Head to open in Tests? Australia still have a lot to consider
That being said, India’s attack is arguably the best in the world. Also, Test cricket is a different ball game altogether. Whether Head has the technique to handle the new ball against Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami remains to be seen.
Head is previously on record saying he prefers to bat in the middle order. Asked if he was aware of media speculation around the opening role following his superb knock at Nottingham, Head didn’t give much away.
“Yes,” he said. “Keep the chatter: it makes it interesting. I’m not going to dive into that. I’ll just let that play out.”
Cameron Green is an option to move up the order. Green was considered the frontrunner to replace Warner before Smith moved into the role last summer. The all-rounder then produced a superb, matchwinning performance in New Zealand batting at four, so the selectors may wish to keep him in the middle order.
Another option is Marnus Labuschagne, but then the question will arise as to who bats at three. Smith, who averages 67.07 in 29 innings at three, is the obvious option. However, Smith’s best work has come at four, with 5,966 of his 9,685 Test runs coming in this position at an average of 61.50.
Whatever call they make, the selectors will hope it pays off as it has the potential to dictate how the summer goes. Not only are Australia aiming to reach the World Test Championship (WTC) Final, but they are seeking to win their first Test series against India since 2014/15.
