Travis Head delivered a brilliant century in the first ODI against England at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, on September 19.
Leading Australia to a dominant seven-wicket win, Head expressed enthusiasm about keeping the discussion alive regarding his potential promotion to Australia’s Test opener role, given his outstanding form in white-ball cricket.
Head’s career-best 154 not out off 129 balls helped Australia chase down a 316-run target with six overs to spare, giving the visitors a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Following his match-winning performance, the 30-year-old was asked if he would be interested in opening in Test cricket, especially after Australia’s experiment with Steve Smith at the top of the order hasn’t yielded great results, with Smith averaging just 28.50 in eight innings since David Warner’s retirement.
While Head didn’t commit to the idea, he welcomed the ongoing speculation.
“Keep the chatter: it makes it interesting. I’m not going to dive into that. I’ll just let that play out. I’ve worked extremely hard over a few years, and I probably play the game a bit more relaxed now. I take it for what it is and try to enjoy what I’m doing. It’s coming off in the way I’m playing,” Head told cricket.com.au.
Although Head primarily bats at No. 5 in Tests, he has experience opening, having scored 223 runs at an average of 55.75 in five innings, including a 90 in Ahmedabad. With Australia set to face India in a five-Test series starting in November, the team’s opening combination remains a topic of intrigue.