Travis Head will replace Sam Konstas at the top of Australia’s batting order for the first Sri Lanka Test despite the teenager’s heroics in the triumphant India series.
Captain Steve Smith would not rule out finding a place for Konstas elsewhere in the order for the match that begins in Galle on Wednesday, with a vacancy now open at No.5.
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Konstas impressed in his first two Tests to help Australia secure a first series win over India in a decade.
But Head’s supreme efforts as an opener on the previous subcontinent tour in 2023 were enough to win him the spot next to Usman Khawaja.
Head averaged 55.75 runs across two-and-a-half Tests replacing David Warner on that India tour, two years ago.
“He did really nicely in India against the new ball. He put spinners under pressure immediately and we know how well he hits the seam as well if they come with that,” Smith said.
“It’s going to be good fun watching him.”
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Konstas’s inexperience appears to have worked against him in the selection conversation, with the 19-year-old embarking on his first subcontinent tour.
Smith said Australia would have to select its XI with the conditions in mind.
“Just playing what’s in front of us, it’s quite different to back home on the surfaces we’ve been playing on there where it’s very pace dominant,” he said.
“We’d imagine this is going to be quite spin dominant.”
Specialist opener Konstas, Nathan McSweeney, Cooper Connolly and Josh Inglis appear to be fighting it out for the middle-order vacancy created by Head’s promotion.
Inglis is uncapped at Test level but has averaged 72.6 across three matches for Western Australia this summer and would bring a similar positive intent to Head.
McSweeney averaged only 14.4 on a tough assignment in his first three Test matches, facing Indian pace ace Jasprit Bumrah out of position as an opener.
The South Australia captain batted in the middle order in his 30 Sheffield Shield appearances and memorably made an unbeaten 127 earlier in the summer.
Uncapped 21-year-old Connolly appears the longest odds with only four first-class games to his name but is rated highly within the Cricket Australia hierarchy.
Connolly and McSweeney each provide part-time off-spin options - advantageous on a Galle wicket that could turn from day one.
“We’ll have another look at the wicket and from there we’ll name the team at the toss,” Smith said.
“We’ve got all the options available to us. We’ll see how we go.”
Australia won’t rule out taking two front-line quicks and two spinners rather than three tweakers, despite expectations of a turning wicket.
Scott Boland and Sean Abbott are both pace options but Smith is equally confident in medium-pace allrounder Beau Webster taking the new ball alongside veteran quick Starc.
“He stands the seam up really nicely, hits good areas. Whether it’s him opening the bowling with Mitchell Starc or a spinner opening, there’s always plenty of options there,” Smith said.
“There’s lots of considerations: Two fast-bowlers, one fast-bowler. Couple of spinners, three spinners, two spinners, allrounders.”
Left-arm offspinner Matthew Kuhnemann will be available for selection only two weeks after dislocating his thumb of his non-bowling hand in the Big Bash League.
“We’re kind of a bit gobsmacked,” Smith said.
“Either he’s a tremendous actor or he’s got great pain tolerance.”
Smith won’t need strapping on his elbow after a minor BBL injury of his own healed “much better than expected”.
But he will be unable to throw in the field.
“Fortunately, this part of the world I’ll be parked in the slips for the entire time,” Smith said.
“If I have to chase one to the boundary, hopefully one of my mates comes with me.”
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