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Australia’s star batsman Travis Head gets a chance to open the batting in the upcoming two-match Test series against Sri Lanka. Head is a regular starter for Australia in white-ball cricket, but bats in the middle order in Tests.
However, Australia’s chairman of selectors George Bailey did not rule out the possibility of making Travis Head open the batting in the Test series against Sri Lanka due to the spin-friendly conditions in the subcontinent.
If Head opens the batting, it won’t bode well for young debutant Sam Konstas, who made his Test debut against India recently. Konstas had an exciting start to his Test career as he brought the attack to the opposition.
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Travis Head is likely to open in Sri Lanka
Cricket Australia chairman of selectors George Bailey sees Travis Head as an X-factor player who can turn the game around. However, he assured that the final decision will be made by the coach and the captain depending on the composition of the team.
Head opened the batting for Australia temporarily during the tour of India in 2023 when David Warner was ruled out due to injury. He scored 223 runs in five innings at an impressive average of 55.75 and scored at a strike rate of 71.47.
“Trav (Travis Head) is an option (to open). We’ve got a number of options and there’s been a few preliminary discussions about where that might go, and that might depend on the makeup of that first XI. I think Andrew ( McDonald, head coach) and Steve (Smith, captain) will settle on that in due course once we get to Sri Lanka,” Bailey told reporters while announcing the squad.
Travis Head has an aggressive batting style and can be a lethal ball striker. He has been in great form over the last few years in all formats. Recently, he was the top run-getter in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with 448 runs in five Tests at an average of 56.
He scored all his runs at a strike rate of 92.56 with 2 hundreds and a fifty. Head is known as a good player of spin and can perfectly complement Usman Khawaja at the top. Khawaja generally likes to take his time, which can allow Head to develop and play freely.
Will Sam Konstas be dropped?
Travis Head’s move up top will mean Sam Konstas will be dropped from the Playing XI. Konstas was impressive in his debut series and made a name for himself by playing an aggressive brand of cricket without worrying about the strength of the opposition.
He played unorthodox strokes to the best bowler in the world at the time, Jasprit Bumrah. He wasn’t afraid to give up to smash Bumrah in the infield despite being hit on numerous occasions.
George Bailey praised the youngster for his brave batting, but believes the Sri Lanka tour will provide plenty of insight into Konstas’ ability. He supported the technique of the worker to thrive in conditions favorable to the turns.
“I guess, in truth, you never really know (how they’ll handle particular conditions) until somebody’s dealing with them,” he said. “What we’ve seen is he’s a quick learner. (He) absorbs a lot of information,” Bailey said.
“So (we’re) hoping he’ll get a lot out of it. I know from his spin game in Australia and the opportunities he’s had in different parts of the world, we think he’s got a game that’s good. suitable and a technique that can stand up “, he noted.
Australia will play a two-match Test series against Sri Lanka. In the absence of Pat Cummins, Steve Smith will lead the team with Travis Head as vice-captain. Australia have also selected spinners like Todd Murphy and Matt Kuhnemann to complement Nathan Lyon.
Australia squad for Sri Lanka tour
Steve Smith (C), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey (week), Cooper Connolly, Travis Head (VC), Josh Inglis (week), Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Matt Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Nathan McSweeney, Todd Murphy, Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster.
