Travis Head reveals the one factor he would not like about opening the batting, as he drops main clue about how Australia might line up for Adelaide Test
Travis Head has claimed that he ‘misses walking out to bat by himself’ as the Australian star hinted that he and Jake Weatherald could open again for Australia as the hosts look to secure a 3-0 series victory next week in Adelaide.
The South Australian will return home to play in front of his home fans at the Adelaide Oval, and since he replaced Usman Khawaja during the first Test in Perth, he and Weatherald have gelled well, averaging a partnership of 63 runs across three innings.
Australia’s selectors face more tough decisions ahead of the third Test, with speculation mounting that Khawaja could return to the side after overcoming a back injury that kept him out of The Gabba Test. Khawaja could come in to bat at No 5 – leaving Head and Weatherald to open for Australia.
‘The only thing about opening the batting is I miss walking out by myself,’ Head told Brad Haddin and Adam Peacock on the Willow Talk podcast this week.
He added that his South Australia team-mate Alex Carey will be able to soak up the raucous home support in Adelaide when he walks to the crease on his own as Australia’s No 6 batter.
‘Alex [Carey] gets to enjoy that because they are very supportive in Adelaide and it’s always a great moment that one, walking out to bat,’ the 31-year-old said.
Travis Head (pictured) has claimed that he ‘misses walking out to bat by himself’ as the South Australian batter hinted that he could open alongside Jake Weatherald in Adelaide
Head and Weatherald (left and right) have averaged a partnership of 63 across three innings
Head and Weatherald are no strangers when it comes to forming a solid batting partnership. Weatherald, who now plays for Tasmania, enjoyed two spells with South Australia and the Adelaide Strikers back in 2015 and in 2022.
Head admitted to the Willow Talk podcast that he had missed going in to bat with his former team-mate.
‘If I am opening the batting this week again with Jake, we’ll claim him as a South Australian,’ Head explained. ‘He came in at an early age, so I think the crowd will be very pumped up to see both of us go out to bat and ‘Kez’ [Carey] will get the little carpet appearance at [number] six.’
Since making his debut in Perth, Weatherald, 31, has impressed, notably bringing up his first half-century in Brisbane, taking 72 runs off 78 deliveries in Australia’s first innings.
‘I’ve missed him for the last couple of years,’ Head said of Weatherald, who switched allegiances to play Shield cricket for Tasmania back in 2023.
‘He’s a deep thinker, and he’s up there with Marnus [Labuschagne] and Steve [Smith]… in terms of hitting balls. He just grinds away.
‘I think he’s handled Test cricket so far really well, I guess with the style of bowling he’s facing. It’s hostile and fast. Each of the England guys are bowling at high speeds, which you don’t get a lot of in one team.
‘His personality, he’s a great bloke. He loves it. We haven’t had to talk too much out in the middle. With our relationship over the years, we’ve just gelled… and it’s like we’re batting [for South Australia] again.’
Head (pictured) stepped up to open in place of Usman Khawaja during the Perth Test, hit the second fastest century by an Australian during an Ashes Test
Head believes Australia’s selectors have some difficult decisions to make before Adelaide but adding that the team ‘will look different again’
Australia could be set to ring in a few more changes ahead of the third Test, with Pat Cummins now firming for a start, while Nathan Lyon will be hoping for a recall after he was dropped from Brisbane just an hour before the toss.
Lyon was ‘absolutely filthy’ about the decision, having also been omitted from Australia’s previous pink-ball test against the West Indies in July.
Selector George Bailey said that he would be back in the fold for the upcoming match at The Adelaide Oval, but the switch-up showed that Australia have a great deal of depth to their squad.
‘We move to Adelaide and the team will look different again to try and win an Adelaide Test,’ Head admitted. ‘Everyone is committed to the one cause. We can’t play 15 blokes.’
Reflecting on Lyon’s explosive interview during the first day in Brisbane, Head added: ‘They’re filthy if they don’t play. There’s no hiding around that. There are some bloody hard calls, there’s no doubt about that.
‘Steve [Smith] and coaching staff and the selectors have made some tough calls in the first two Tests, but when you map it out the way they do… it makes those decisions really easy.’
Head expects England to bring the fire in Adelaide. It is a must-win match for the tourists, who, after a break in Noosa, will be desperate to rectify what’s been a disappointing start to the series, after going 2-0 down.
Tempers rose in Australia’s final innings at The Gabba on Sunday, as Jofra Archer and Smith exchanged sledges in the middle of the wicket.
Australia’s selectors face more tough decisions ahead of the third Test, with speculation mounting that Khawaja (pictured) could return to the side after overcoming his back injury and could bat at No 5
Head (left) stated that he had ‘missed’ batting alongside Weatherald (right) in recent years, after the pair had previously played together at South Australia
Despite his brilliance in Perth, Head (pictured) was dismissed for 33 runs in Australia’s first innings at The Gabba, before he was bowled out by Brydon Carse in the second innings for 22
Smith had taken note that England’s pace bowler had come out with plenty of aggression, bowling much faster than he had in Australia’s first innings.
‘You only play those shots when there’s not much on the score, mate,’ Archer told the stand-in Aussie skipper after the Aussie batsman had swiped away two sixes.
Smith retorted: ‘[You only] Bowl fast when there’s nothing going on, champion.’
Meanwhile, at the non-strikers’ end, Weatherald and Ben Stokes exchanged a few words.
‘Spit it out if you’re going to say something,’ Weatherald had told Archer. ‘Finally rocked up.’
Stokes came to the defence of his premium fast bowler.
‘You got 70 and started chatting,’ he said to Weatherald, referring to his first-innings score of 72.
‘I was only saying something because you were saying something now,’ the Tassie batter said.
He believes that the sledging match between Jofra Archer (left) and Steve Smith (right) may carry over into the Adelaide Test
But Head adds that he ‘knows how Jofra (right) operates’ and while praising the England pace bowler as a ‘competitor’, Head believes that Archer has been looking to get Smith (left) out
Stokes fired back: ‘I say it with a smile on my face, though, Jake.’
The rivalry is expected to continue into the next Test in Adelaide, but Head says his side, and Smith, are ready.
‘If that match-up comes first day in Adelaide, I know how Jofra operates,’ Head explained. ‘He’s a competitor and there’s no doubt this series he’s wanted to try and get Smudge as much as he can.
‘As we’ll go on in these five Tests, there are story lines, there are ups around the five Test-match series.
‘They’ve got a competitive thing going on at the moment. Let’s see in three Tests time. There’s no doubt everyone’s going to come out motivated and full of energy. But the heat of it will die, given we’ve got an eight-day break, but the motivation will be there.
‘You want to start well on that first morning. That’s everyone’s priority, to be ready to go in Adelaide.’
