Shuffle that could open door to shock lifeline; why debut makes sense: Aussie state of play

Three Australians could potentially make their Test debut over the coming fortnight as the tourists grapple with how to balance their starting XI for the Warne-Muralitharan Trophy campaign against Sri Lanka.

The Australian Test squad touched down in Dubai this week to ramp up preparation for the two-match series, which gets underway next Thursday in Galle. Steve Smith will lead the side in the absence of Pat Cummins, who is expecting the birth of his second child as he battles ankle soreness, while bowler Josh Hazlewood is also unavailable due to a calf injury.

The Warne-Muralitharan Trophy has been in Australia’s possession since 2019, but Sri Lanka has won four of their five most recent home Tests against the powerhouse nation, including a 3-0 whitewash in 2016.

Australia has already booked its place in this year’s World Test Championship final at Lord’s, but the visitors will be eager to break a 14-year drought and secure their first Test series triumph in Sri Lanka since 2011.

OPENERS

During the 2023 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Australia’s previous Test tour of the subcontinent, Travis Head was thrown up the order as a makeshift opener following an elbow injury to David Warner, with the substitute hitting 235 runs at 47 in a low-scoring series.

The South Australian, a successful opener in white-ball formats, could partner Usman Khawaja at the top of the order against Sri Lanka this week at the expense of teenage phenom Sam Konstas, who has less experience on the subcontinent’s turning wickets.

“For me, it’s wherever we line up best as a team ... I’m happy where I’m at (in the middle order),” Head told Fox Cricket when asked about the potential of opening in Sri Lanka.

“When Davey went down (in 2023), it felt like I was the next best option, and it seemed to have worked.

“Obviously being a bit more aggressive at the top, it felt like I got myself into the game, which was nice in those conditions, facing fast bowling first.

“It depends where the team’s situated, who’s doing well; we’ve got some very good opening batters at the moment.”

Speaking to reporters earlier this month, national selector George Bailey confirmed Head was “an option” to open the batting in Sri Lanka due to his aggressive approach against pace. However, Bailey didn’t rule out the possibility of Konstas facing the new ball in Galle after the teenager demonstrated his attacking potential with an unforgettable Boxing Day blitz at the MCG last month.

The 19-year-old, capable of shifting gears and heaping pressure back on the bowlers, could be the like-for-like Warner replacement that Australia has been searching for.

Test batting average as opener

55.75 - Travis Head

28.25 - Sam Konstas

Travis Head hits out for Australia against India.

“He’s a quick learner, absorbs a lot of information,” Bailey said of Konstas.

“(We’re) expecting him to get a lot out of it. I know from his spin play in Australia, and the opportunities he’s (had) in different parts of the world, we think he’s got a game that’s well suited, and a technique that can stand up.

“But that’s one of the exciting things about this tour – we will learn a bit more about his game in different conditions to what he’s just faced in Australia.”

Elsewhere, Khawaja will be hoping to rediscover his mojo after an underwhelming home summer against India, where he contributed 184 runs at 20.44 with one fifty in 10 knocks. The Queenslander, who celebrated his 38th birthday last month, has indicated he wants to continue playing until next summer’s Ashes campaign, and runs against the Sri Lankans would aid his cause.

Sam Konstas plays his instantly-famous ramp shot against India.

MIDDLE ORDER

Following the Border-Gavaskar Trophy campaign, Australia’s middle order looks fairly settled, with Marnus Labuschagne at first-drop followed by Smith, Head and all-rounder Beau Webster.

However, if Head opens the batting in Sri Lanka, it will create a vacancy in the middle order that reserve batter Nathan McSweeney or uncapped wicketkeeper Josh Inglis could occupy.

McSweeney, who has spent most of his first-class career in the middle order, made his Test debut as a makeshift opener during the recent series against India, but was dropped after compiling 72 runs at 14.40 across three matches.

The South Australian looked completely out of his depth while facing Indian weapon Jasprit Bumrah, but Bailey confirmed he was still considered a long-term Test prospect. During this season’s Sheffield Shield, McSweeney has notched 291 runs at 97.00 including a match-saving century against NSW in October.

“At times when someone is left out of a team or squad, there’s a view that they fall out of favour, or down the pecking order,” Bailey said.

“But that wasn’t the case with Nathan.”

Although Inglis is yet to make his Test debut, the gloveman has clobbered 363 runs at 72.60 in this season’s Sheffield Shield and would be more than capable of serving as a specialist batter if called upon, just as he’s done in Australia’s white-ball teams. The West Australian has also been touted as an excellent player of spin.

Inglis, who has already represented Australia in 26 ODIs and 29 T20Is, carried drinks throughout the recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy as the squad’s reserve batter before suffering a calf injury during the Boxing Day Test.

Webster gives Australia flexibility with its team balance — he can bowl seam or off-spin pending the conditions and match situation — while wicketkeeper Alex Carey has expressed a willingness to bat at No. 6 if required.

Meanwhile, Head will be desperate for redemption after his torrid tour of Sri Lanka in 2022, where he averaged 7.66 across two matches.

Test batting average in Sri Lanka

49.75 — Steve Smith

49.66 — Marnus Labuschagne

44.50 — Alex Carey

28.00 — Usman Khawaja

7.66 — Travis Head