Travis Head played a magnificent knock in Perth.
Travis Head opened for Australia in the second innings of the first Ashes 2025 Test and wreaked havoc like he often does in white-ball cricket. Following his marvellous ton in Perth, the chances of him opening the innings, with Jake Weatherald, in the second Day-Night Ashes 2025 Test are high.
However, former Australia coach Aaron Finch has a contrasting opinion, for he wants Head to continue at his original position – No.5. On ESPN’s Around The Wicket, Finch explained how the batter can make a bigger impact in the middle order when the ball gets a bit soft.
“I just feel as though the fact that it is a pink-ball test, the impact that that brand new ball can have, and the impact that Travis Head can have batting at No. 5 when the pink ball does go a bit soft, and the game can sort of, the wicket can flatten out. I like him at five still, just to be that real explosive player through the middle order.”
Usman Khawaja is doubtful for the Gabba Test after his back issues flared up in the opening game, forcing him to bat lower in both innings. There’s a chance he wouldn’t have batted much in the second innings had the situation demanded, and Australia would be wary of playing an unfit batter in the XI for the next game.
While Travis Head played a blistering knock as an opener in Perth, Aaron Finch has rightly asked Australia to re-slot him in his original Test spot. Openers have collectively averaged 28.24 in Day-Night Tests Down Under, while a No.5 averages 35.65 in the same games, validating Finch’s argument.
However, there are more layers than just this, and the biggest one is Jofra Archer’s expertise against LHBs, especially with the new pink ball. In 2025, he removes an LHB at 19.75 runs apiece, and his average improves to 6 inside the first 10 overs.
Now, Head can be vulnerable to deliveries outside the off-stump line from over-the-wicket angle against right-arm pacers since he stays on the leg side. This is precisely the angle Archer exploits: three of his eight wickets against LHBs have come from this angle, and he doesn’t shy from trying it early in the innings – something most other pacers fail to do.
Obviously, Head will face a similar threat even at No.5, but the movement will at least settle a bit when the ball oldens. He averages a whopping 51.35 in 10 Pink Ball Tests, and all 15 innings in those games have come at No.5 or 6.
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