After just one match, and two days of cricket, new questions are already being raised about the makeup of Australia’s opening partnership for Brisbane and beyond.
Travis Head’s explosive century in Perth and Usman Khawaja’s injury problems have thrown open the door once more.
Can Travis Head become an all-format opener? Does he want to? Can Australia replace his counter-punching middle order batting if he does?
There’s a lot of potential flow on effects if Head puts his hand up to bat at the top again, and that’s before factoring in the future of Usman Khawaja.
So let’s look at some of the scenarios for Brisbane:
A. Nothing happens.
There is of course the scenario where Head or the selectors do not want him opening the batting and Usman Khawaja is deemed fit and not at risk of reaggravating his back injury in Brisbane. In this scenario, the batting order is likely unchanged.
Pat Cummins may be returning to the line-up but that’s another story. Khawaja has been on a declining output, especially against pace, and while he looks increasingly on borrowed time its unlikely he gets discarded if fit just yet.
The veteran opener has been prolific across the last World Test Championship cycle and deserves more than two injury-hampered innings to prove his quality.
B. Khawaja is ruled out, Head stays at five
If selectors and medical staff deem Khawaja is not past his injury troubles and can’t risk a repeat of the treatment and time-off field that led to both Marnus Labuschagne and Head opening in Perth, then a new face will be required. If selectors or Travis Head decide his Perth heroics should be a one-off then it opens the door for another specialist opener to step into the Ashes cauldron.
While Jake Weatherald was given first crack, Matt Renshaw can’t have been far behind. Not only has he stepped up his domestic form this season, but his pink-ball century against Victoria shows he’s as capable as any domestic challenger against the notoriously bowler friendly format of day/night Test cricket.
While selectors have urged Josh Inglis and Mitch Marsh to begin playing as red-ball openers, without Western Australia being obliged to play them up top, Renshaw is the obvious candidate to step in. He’s familiar with the Queensland and Gabba conditions, has runs on the board and is deserving of an opportunity if Khawaja is unfit and Head retained at five.
Matt Renshaw. (Photo by Jason McCawley/Getty Images)
C. Khawaja ruled out, Head opens
This could be the dream for Australian selectors if it works out. Without having to drop Khawaja or debutant Jake Weatherald, they get a look at Head opening the batting on Australian soil in perhaps the toughest conditions of the summer. There’s been a long history between David Warner and legendary predecessor Matthew Hayden in aggressive left-handed openers during some of Australia’s most dominant eras, and the search for Warner’s heir began even before he’d retired.
There’s no guarantee that Head, who had previously only opened in red ball cricket in Asia, will be a long-term success in the role, however it makes sense now to find out if he’s got what it takes.
Not only would Head becoming a permanent opener give Australia much needed firepower at the top of the order, but it would offer selection stability in Asia and open the door to the return of Beau Webster or Josh Inglis to the middle order.
Player roles and continuity are important in building a consistent batting group, and not shuffling the opening partnership everytime the team heads to Asia would be a huge bonus. Head already opens in Asia, and his return to the top in Sri Lanka saw Sam Konstas dropped from a series where he might’ve benefitted from experience and exposure to low, slow wickets.
Australia have an upcoming tour of India next year after hosting New Zealand and both batters and selectors would be grateful for the minimal changes to the order if Head thrives as a permanent opener.
Of the contenders, Webster shapes as the most likely beneficiary. He was desperately unlucky to be dropped for Labuschagne for the Perth Test. His batting form was strong during Australia’s winter tours and he’s a more than handy bowler with his towering height and seam off the pitch.
While England seem determined to conduct their batting innings in a short and fiery manner, the need for two all-rounders seems limited, but slotting him in at six would be a fair reward for his contributions.
Inglis too would be excited by a middle order slot opening up, and his aggressive approach could offset some of Head’s counterpunch with the older ball if given the opportunity.
Jake Weatherald. (Photo by Steve Bell/Getty Images)
D. Khawaja is fit, Head wants to open
This is perhaps the toughest scenario as it necessitates brave selection decisions and potentially difficult conversations.
Head may be required to bide his time at five, and the incumbent pairing of Khawaja and Weatherald remain at the top, but if selectors desperately want to evaluate Head as a long term solution then a very unlucky player will be dropped.
Khawaja seems the less likely to be given the axe due to his experience and long-term success in the role, but its not beyond imagination that he would be the casualty in this scenario.
He’s 39 in a few weeks and firmly in his twilight years, and his decreasing output especially against pace bowling surely troubles selectors. He’s been exposed against top-end quicks across the last 12 months and at his age there’s limited scope for improvement.
Weatherald would be the more likely candidate to be dropped but would be incredibly unlucky. He failed to impact the scoreboard in his first knock, skittled by a Jofra Archer rocket, but he performed with much more promise in his second attempts.
Add in that he was forced to bat with two unexpected partners as a result of Khawaja’s injury time-outs on the biggest stage and its reasonable to think the Darwinite deserves a second match to prove his quality on the international stage.
He’s aggressive, eight years Khawaja’s junior and the decision to dump him after just one match would be a sad reflection of the leash selectors give to untried players.
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