The first day of the Sheffield Shield has revealed Australia’s direction for the Test series against India.
Travis Head has given the strongest indication yet he is not in the race to open against India, listed at No.4 for South Australia in their Sheffield Shield game against NSW.
There had been speculation that Head could be one of several options to open in the Test side, if Steve Smith was not preferred at the top.
But that now appears less likely, with South Australia to use Henry Hunt and Conor McInerny at the top of the order against the Blues at Cricket Central.
Australia’s chief selector George Bailey is in attendance.
Head will likely have to wait until later in the match to bat, with NSW winning the toss and batting first under heavy cloud cover and spots of rain.
South Australia have four Shield matches before the first Test of the summer next month, although Head is unlikely to feature in the last of those due to Australian white-ball commitments.
Cameron Green is the other leading option to open if coach Andrew McDonald wishes to bump Smith back to No.4, but that would depend on the allrounder’s back injury.
If Green is not fit, Australia could look towards a specialist opener, or bring in an allrounder as an extra bowling option alongside Mitch Marsh.
Queensland have entered their first Shield clash, against Western Australia in Perth, pairing incumbent Australian opener Usman Khawaja with one of his Test predecessors in Matt Renshaw.
New captain Marnus Labuschagne will bat at No.3 for last year’s wooden spooners, now helmed by former South African spinner Johan Botha.
The coach is keen to “lift the intensity” of their batting and give Renshaw, who has slid up and down the order in recent years, a platform to surge into contention for the first Test against India next month.
“He’ll open,” Botha told AAP on Monday.
“The plan for all of us is to get him back in the Test team.
“Even if he’s not in pole position at the moment there’s nothing that two big scores can’t change.
“Get a big score when everyone’s watching; that’s what counts. And it will count that he’s batting with Khawaja and Marnus around him.
“That puts him right in the mix and make them (selectors) make a tough decision. And the guy that gets that first look in, they’ll have to go with that guy for a while.”
A year ago Renshaw, Victoria’s Marcus Harris and WA’s Cameron Bancroft were seemingly in a three-way fight to replace the retiring David Warner.
Eventually the veteran’s spot was filled from within by Steve Smith, allowing Green to return to the team at No.4.
“Who’s going to take those first four or six opportunities of the summer and say, ‘I’m the guy?’,” Botha said.
“All of them will feel that bit of pressure in the background that they want to be the next Test opener.
“All of them are in the same boat. One might be in the lead at the moment, but no ball’s been bowled.”
Khawaja, 38 in December, will play at least three of the Bulls’ four Shield clashes before the first Test and become Australia’s oldest Test cricketer since Steve Waugh, should he feature later this year.
The left-hander’s averaged 53.41 since his recall during the 2021/22 Ashes, providing the steady hand at the top of the order despite batting No.4 when he played for the Bulls.
Botha said the pair had eventually agreed his promotion was in the best interests of all parties and that he would be the “calming influence” next to a new captain he has encouraged to get funky.