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Unknowns surround Australian batting order as new Khawaja role proposed
Sam Kosack • January 9th, 2025 4:41 pm
The make-up of the Australian batting line-up is shrouded in mystery ahead of the side’s tour of Sri Lanka, with the order potentially rotating to take advantage of the spin-friendly wickets.
SEN Cricket expert Bharat Sundaresan expects Travis Head to open the batting in the subcontinent, as he did in India two years ago, meaning one of Usman Khawaja or Sam Konstas will have to shift roles to accommodate the change.
The inclusion of Nathan McSweeney and Josh Inglis in the squad further complicate matters, with either play a possibility to join the top six.
Sundaresan believes Usman Khawaja may be the one to shift down the order, allowing Head and Konstas to open together.
“Usman Khawaja did say… that he wants to finish his career in the middle order so this may be that opportunity,” Sundaresan told SEN 1170 Mornings.
“If Head is opening and they want to stick with Konstas, you can see a scenario where Khawaja drops down the order because you know he can play spin as well as anyone in that side… or they could stick with Head and Khawaja and play Konstas elsewhere because number three and four are taken.
“They go to Sri Lanka with multiple orders, but I’d be surprised if Head doesn’t open there because of the impact he can have on those pitches at the very top.”
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Nathan McSweeney could also earn a Test recall after being dropped from the side for the final two Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series.
“In my conversations with the selectors, it was pretty clear it wasn’t about who they felt should be opening the batting… they felt they needed a little more dynamism at the top of the order,” Sundaresan revealed.
“Nathan McSweeney’ 39 under lights with the pink ball was as vital to Australia coming back into the series as Travis Head’s 100 or Scott Boland’s wickets.”
The Sri Lanka tour kicks off on January 29, with Steve Smith one run away from becoming the 15th person to reach the milestone of 10,000 runs.
