When will Travis Head open in Sri Lanka? © AFP It’s an unprecedented strategy that has been discussed within the Australian camp ever since Steve Smith was promoted to open the batting a year ago. And it looks like we might be on the cusp of the No 1 Test team in the world pulling the trigger on their “flexible batting order” experiment during the next two weeks in Galle. Call it Australia’s own version of “total cricket” aptly with the old Dutch fort in the background. While it’s been discussed quite a bit internally before by the team management, even going as far back as the India tour of 2023, Monday morning was the first time it was spoken of publicly with Travis Head admitting to it being a plan when asked about his own batting position for the series. “It’s been a topic of conversation for the last little bit in this team on whether the Australian first innings, second innings, why doesn’t the order change? Why can’t we be flexible? What moves? How can we be brave? That hasn’t played out as such yet. Is this the tour to do it? We’ll wait and see. I feel like this group’s experienced enough and got some really good players that can play in different roles and in different situations of the game, we may draw on different people,” the vice-captain said two days out from the opening Test of the two-match series against Sri Lanka. “All you’re trying to do is line it up to be flexible around what can win a Test match. If that lends itself to being more traditional on Day One and what’s not to say when it does turn and gets extreme, the order may change. A lot’s being drawn to me at the moment and where I may bat but that may be different to everyone,” he added. And as expected there has been a lot of scrutiny over what batting order Australia do go with in Galle come Wednesday, especially with regards to what position their explosive game-changer finds himself in. While experts like Ricky Ponting have insisted that the visitors should stick with Sam Konstas at the top after his whirlwind and borderline manic start to Test cricket, there’s a high possibility that Australia go back to having Head as opener. Based on the success he had facing spin against the new-ball in India in 2023. With Australia having qualified for the World Test Championship final already on the back of regaining the Border Gavaskar Trophy with a 3-1 series back home, the time might be right for the world champions to go through with their unique move. Though it will lead to many eyebrows being raised, Head put the possibility of a flexible Test batting order down to how quickly the game has evolved, and how much it’s changed. “I think people (within the team) are open to it. The game’s evolving. I don’t think anyone would’ve seen Sam Konstas lapping in the first session of a Test match. The game is evolving so why not continue to see where we can make jumps and leaps and where can we get an advantage? If that’s using people in different positions, it’s not traditionally done a hell of a lot, we haven’t done it yet but does this tour lend itself to that? I think this team’s experienced enough and in a great position where players will be open to that if needed to be. We’ll wait and see,” he said. A moveable batting line-up is a fascinating prospect though, especially in this part of the world, and could open the door for multiple options. Have Konstas opening the batting in the first innings if the Galle pitch is not a raging turner like what we had for the opening Test last time around, and then swap him with Head for the second innings when Prabath Jayasuriya is potentially holding court with the turning ball. That could also dictate the kind of middle-order options they go in with for the playing XI with both McSweeney and Josh Inglis probably good enough to play flexible roles. Interestingly, the batting pairs in the nets over the first two days of training in Galle have been flexible in their own right instead of what is more routine, with batters batting more or less in the order they’re expected to do during the Test. Australia have tried a few opening partners already for Usman Khawaja ever since David Warner finished his Test career last January. It started with Smith replacing his fellow New South Welshman before Nathan McSweeney was given a go for the first three Tests against India. It was Konstas who eventually finished the summer alongside Khawaja, while also kicking off Konstasmania around the country. Head averaged 7.66 with the bat across three innings at No 5 here when Australia visited last in 2022, raising multiple question marks around his ability to play spin in the subcontinent. But he bounced back in dramatic fashion some 8 months later, averaging 47 across three Tests in India, after he was left out of the opening game in Nagpur. Most of those runs coming as an opener, including a match-winning knock in the run-chase in Indore. It’s an experience that the South Australian is keen to draw on in Galle regardless of where he bats. “I’d say right now, with the position I’m in, not different (whether I walk out to bat at 3/32 and the spinners on top or at 0/0 with the spinners also starting their spells). But three years ago, it was completely different. I was in a different mind-space and a different part of my career, batting a slightly different way. I wasn’t pleased with the way that tour went. Didn’t play well at all. And then I got another opportunity in India and was able to do some more of a job,” he said. “I did go through a bit of a transition here and in Pakistan last time. Tried to play a bit more traditionally and that Indian series was one which could have gone one way or the other. I don’t play well, and I probably never see a subcontinent tour again. Or I go out there and do what I’ve been doing the last couple of years and go out there a little bit more relaxed and not be worried about what the outcome might be.” Not to forget his performances in white-ball cricket in the subcontinent, India in particular, in the interim period between the two Sri Lankan tours, where he’s had to contend with a lot of spin. And more spin with the new-ball in particular, a challenge that he talks about having got used to by now. In addition to being very comfortable with his own strategy against spin at the start. “As the ball gets older, it spins more consistently. With the new ball, we’ve seen a lot that the ball can go straight and spin, and then where are my percentages, like for all opening batters or those bat higher up, where your percentages are for you getting out and where you are happy getting out. And where you are not happy to get out. With the new ball, you try not to get beaten on the inside, and try not to get beaten by the one that doesn’t spin, then one spins and you nick it or you are happy to give up those dismissals. I am happy to play a forward defensive and potentially nick one rather than get lbw,” he explained. A pretty solid strategy that has worked for Head the few times he’s had the opportunity to open the batting. If he does get to open the batting, or more a case of when he does get to open the batting as Australia brace for an era of total cricket.
