Head Doesn't Consider Himself a 'Genuine Opener' Despite Opening the Innings

Following a brilliant performance at the top of the order in the Ashes series, Travis Head’s place as a Test opener for Australia looks largely secure. He is also expected to open the innings in the upcoming series against Bangladesh. However, the left-handed batter does not see himself as a traditional opener.

Head previously opened in a few Test innings under special circumstances during the 2023 tour of India and the 2025 tour of Sri Lanka. While he is Australia’s regular white-ball opener, he hasn't filled that role often in first-class cricket. Everything changed in November last year during the first Ashes Test in Perth when an injury to Usman Khawaja forced Head to open in the second innings.

In that match against England, Head smashed a brilliant 123 off 83 balls during the run-chase to seal a win for Australia inside two days. He followed that up with scores of 170 in Adelaide and 163 in Sydney. Finishing as one of the chief architects of Australia's series win, he amassed 629 runs at a strike rate of 87.36. While Mitchell Starc was named player of the series, Head’s stellar output played a massive role in earning him his second consecutive Allan Border Medal as Australia's Men's Cricketer of the Year.

Questions arose right after the Perth Test over whether Head would open on a permanent basis—a question that now seems mostly answered.

Australia are set to play 20 Tests over the next year or so, which could rise to 21 if they reach the ICC World Test Championship final. Head is likely to feature as an opener throughout this busy red-ball calendar, yet he remains reluctant to view himself as a true opener.

“I don’t know the exact stats, but I’ve played 170 or 180 first-class games and opened in maybe 10 (12) of them. That shows I’m not an opening batter in the sense of what a genuine opener means in Australian cricket—someone who has come through the ranks opening, played state cricket as an opener, and then opened in Test cricket.

I feel like I can play a role up top. Right now, I’m batting at the top, but I'm not a genuine opening batter in that traditional sense. I know I still have a lot of hard work to do against the new ball. Mistakes will happen, which is normal. But I feel very comfortable with my game.”

For Head, contributing to team wins matters far more than personal milestones. Looking back at his Ashes performance, he added:

“I want to score centuries and get runs all the time, but at the end of the day, I want to contribute to winning Test matches. If I look back at the Barbados Test (against the West Indies in 2025), I scored two fifties on a challenging pitch and we won the game. It might not look as grand on the scorecard as a century, but I felt I genuinely contributed to a Test win.

I’m really pleased with the consistency I maintained during the Ashes. I think everyone in Australian cricket measures their career against Ashes performances... I’m just thrilled we were able to win the Ashes this year.”

Australia will play two Tests at home against Bangladesh, with the first match starting this Thursday in Darwin.