Travis Head hasn’t spent much time over-thinking the batting order this week. Australia only re-assembled in Brisbane on Sunday, yet the chatter around who faces the new ball on Thursday has already started to bubble.
“If that’s what is needed to win a Test match and if that’s what’s required then, yeah, I’m fine with it,” Head said, echoing skipper Pat Cummins’ long-held view that the numbers printed next to a name are “over-rated”.
Head, 31, has been inked in at No. 5 for four solid years, but an untimely bout of back spasms forced Usman Khawaja from the field in Perth, and Head walked out to open in the second innings. The result was eye-catching: 123 from 83 balls, a fourth-innings chase wrapped up in just 28.2 overs and a 1-0 Ashes lead.
Khawaja turns 39 next month and remains in the 14-man squad. He insists he “should be right” for the Gabba, yet recent returns – an average of 31.84 over two years with a solitary century – mean his place is no longer iron-clad. Selectors have offered no guarantees.
Head admitted nothing has been settled. “I’m happy,” he reiterated. “I’m preparing for anything at this stage… There’s a fair bit to work through. I’ve just got here. We haven’t really had many conversations over the last week. It’s been about just spending some time out of the game as much as you can. You don’t get much time to chill out in a massive series like this, where it’s pretty full-on every single day.”
Coach Andrew McDonald revealed after Perth that the staff have kicked around the idea of using different openers in each innings – a concept you almost never hear in Test cricket. Head is relaxed about that, too.
“We’ve talked about that a lot: how you get there, and what personnel we have to be able to potentially do that and the personalities in the line-up,” he explained. “You’ve seen it a little bit in the T20 team as well, where we’re trying to push the boundaries in power-hitting, and [asking] do we take singles at certain stages… I feel like I can play in any role, so I’m open to it, and it’s just trying to work out in-game and in moments when that may come out and when you may use that.
“All options are on the table and have been for a long period of time about where this team can potentially get better, and where there’s opportunities to potentially win games of cricket in moments. It’s always been on the table.”
Cummins, managing a back stress issue and likely to miss the second Test, remains the loudest voice on flexibility. Head backs him completely. “I agree with Pat. I think you could use this order and these players in a range of different ways and whatever ways that is to win games of cricket.”
The numbers support the argument. Since December 2023 Head is striking at 79 in Test cricket. When an attack tires, he can change a session in an hour. Against the new ball he rode a bit of luck in Perth – a snick wide of slip, one grubber that bounced over leg stump – yet the tempo rattled England’s plans.
Khawaja, conversely, is a craftsman. His method remains sound, but the quick singles he once pinched are harder to find. Australia must decide whether the right blend is control plus aggression, or all-out pressure from ball one.
Former opener Chris Rogers, speaking on SEN radio, believes Head’s attacking lens can work but only if the middle order is protected. “You can’t be three for 40 every week,” he said. “England will have plans and the Gabba is different to Perth – the ball can seam early.”
Selection meetings, we’re told, will run up to the eve of the match. If Khawaja wakes up stiff on Wednesday, the decision almost makes itself. If he passes every fitness test, the debate becomes purely cricketing.
There is also the wild-card notion of batting Khawaja at No. 3, sliding Marnus Labuschagne to four and leaving Head at five. It would retain experience at the top while keeping Head free to counter-attack later. Neither player has ruled it out, though Head insists he hasn’t been sounded out formally.
Away from the first-innings puzzle, the Australians will spend a fair chunk of practice managing workloads. With Cummins doubtful, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood carry extra responsibility. The selectors have Jhye Richardson and Scott Boland on standby, but wet weather in south-east Queensland is forecast to shorten preparation time.
England, meanwhile, are hunting ways to contain Head’s wagon wheel. Ollie Robinson noted after Perth that “length is key”. Words are easy; landing six balls on a five-cent piece when Head is charging down is less so.
Thursday morning will tell its own story. For now, the South Australian is far from fussed, reaching for a coffee between interviews and shrugging off the noise: “If the team needs me somewhere, I’ll give it a crack.”
For an Ashes series occasionally guilty of over-the-top narrative, the solution might be refreshingly simple – pick the bloke who just made 123 at a run-a-ball and see where the cards fall.
