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Travis Head is likely to continue as the opener for the remainder of the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, as the Australia National Cricket Team is heading to confirm another WTC final. Ahead of Australia's next Test match, he claimed that he is not a natural opener in the Test format.
Head, one of the most versatile batters in the team, who performs as an opener in white-ball formats but plays mostly as a middle-order batter in Tests, has recently impressed everyone by scoring tons of runs against England during the Ashes 2025-26 season as an opener in place of injured opener Usman Khawaja.
A packed Test schedule ahead of the Australia cricket team
In the remainder of the ongoing WTC 2025-27 season, the Australian cricket team will have to play at least 20 more matches; it will be 21 if they qualify for the final. Jake Weatherland was the number two batter for the team alongside Head in the fifth match of the Ashes.
Ahead of Tests against Bangladesh, the 32-year-old admitted that opening innings in Tests is something not very natural to him, but will love to carry on the responsibility after the successful knocks against the arch-rival England.
"I'm not an opening batter": Travis Head on his relevant batting position
Putting a light on his domestic cricket career, Travis Head mentioned that out of 180 First-Class matches, he played only a few matches as an opener. So, at least for the longest format of the game, he is not considering himself a prominent opener, while multiple cricketers have been playing purely as an opener from the beginning of their careers.
"I don't know exact stats, but what have I played: 170, 180 first-class games. I might have opened in ten of them. I think it would suggest that I'm not an opening batter, a true opening batter, in terms of what Australian cricket is known for, I guess. Guys that have come through the grades opening the batting and played state cricket opening batting, and played Test cricket as opening batters," Travis Head told Cricinfo.
Travis Head has great stats as a Test opener
The batter who played 66 Tests for the Australia cricket team was recently honoured with the prestigious Allan Border Medal as Australia's cricketer of the year, and further mentioned that he likes to perform as a top-order batter.
So far in his career, the left-handed batter has played only 8 matches and 11 innings as No.1 batter, scoring 624 runs for an average of 56.72, including three centuries, with a highest score of 170. From the No.2 batting position, he accumulated 305 runs for a batting average of 61.00 with a couple of half-centuries in six matches and as many innings.
"I think my game is conducive to playing well. I feel like I can do a role at the top. I'm at the top, but it's not that true opening batter, if that makes sense. I know that I've still got to work continuously hard at the new ball. I know I'm going to make mistakes. That's okay. I'm very comfortable with where my game's at," Travis Head added.
