Travis Head's batting order confirmed ahead of first SL Test

Australia on Tuesday finalised their opening combination for the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle with Travis Head set to partner Usman Khawaja at the top of the order. 

Khawaja's previous opening partners, Nathan McSweeney and Sam Konstas, were involved in Australia's most recent Test series against India at home, but for this subcontinent tour, the team is reverting to a successful formula from their 2023 tour of India.

Australia’s stand-in captain Steve Smith highlighted Head's impressive performances in India, particularly against the new ball. 

"He (Head) 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," said Smith. "It's going to be good fun watching him."

While Smith confirmed Head's role as an opener, he refrained from naming the full playing eleven, opting to assess the conditions closer to match day.

"We'll wait and see what we get, probably the morning of the game, and then go from there. But things can change pretty quickly, this part of the world, the sun hasn't been out a great deal. So we'll have another look at the wicket, and then from there, we'll name a team at toss," he said.

This could potentially mean that the 19-year-old Konstas, who impressed early in his career, might be left out. However, Smith sees value in Konstas’ continued presence with the squad. 

"He's going to have a lot of practice over here if he doesn't play, which, in itself, is great as well for development. You know, I only have to think back to 2013 I think, where I didn't play the first few tests, and just the amount of balls I was hitting in the nets, and the skills I was able to develop from facing loads of net bowlers and things like that. So whether he plays or not, I think it's going to be a wonderful experience for him. He's going to learn a lot," he said.

The top order batter also provided an update on his own recovery from an elbow injury sustained during the Big Bash League, which had raised concerns ahead of the tour. 

"Fortunately it was all mainly muscle, it settled down pretty quickly. I'm actually batting without tape," he confirmed.

In further positive injury news, left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann has been passed fit to play. 

"Apparently the surgeon's done an incredible job for him to be able to field and do some of the things he's been able to do the last couple of days, we're kind of a bit gobsmacked. Either he's a tremendous actor or he's got great pain tolerance. He's ticked all the boxes. He's good to go," Smith concluded.

It is pertinent to mention that both Australia and Sri Lanka will collide in the first Test of the two-match series, starting Wednesday in Galle.

For the unversed, this series will be the final of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 cycle, and both Australia and South Africa are scheduled to face each other in the final of the WTC at Lord's from June 11-15.