Allan Border Medal favourite Travis Head’s captaincy conundrum, will Nathan Lyon miss out like Warney?

Australia faces a puzzling dilemma when it comes to handling Travis Head’s future, writes Robert Craddock. Plus, will Nathan Lyon follow in Shane Warne’s footsteps at the Allan Border Medal?

Is Travis Head a future Test captain or do you simply let Travis be Travis?

If Head wins his first Allan Border Medal on Monday and/or the Test player of the year it will be another step up the ladder for the batting enigma who has become one of Australia’s most important players.

With Steve Smith doing such a fine job as captain in Pat Cummins’ absence on the Sri Lankan tour, Australia has the luxury of letting Head stand quietly in the background as vice-captain.

But with Smith’s future uncertain beyond next summer’s Ashes and Head likely to outlast Cummins as a Test player, it will be interesting to see, down the track, if the South Australian lands the big job.

Travis Head’s swashbuckling style makes him a vital member of Australia’s team. Picture: Getty

Much like Mitchell Marsh, Head is very popular in the team which is a solid start.

The big issue is whether the captaincy would shackle his naturally free spirit.

Under Cummins’ captaincy, Head has been encouraged to be himself and spread his wings in the knowledge there will be diamonds on some days and rocks on some others.

This “be yourself’’ mantra works well. This is the Travis Australia needs most.

Australia would not want the burden of captaincy to change Head’s batting style in any way which is easier said than done because the pressures of the job can force the most cavalier of characters to be more conservative.

It’s an intriguing decision.

Would promoting Travis Head to captaincy take away some of the dynamic batsman’s magic? Picture: AFP

BORDERLINE CALLS

Shane Warne never won an Allan Border Medal and sadly, Nathan Lyon seems destined for the same fate.

Because Lyon has a minimal presence in white ball cricket he is unlikely to get the votes needed to win Australian cricket’s top award which is a shame because Australia’s Test team would be lost without him.

Nathan Lyon (L) seems destined to never win an Allan Border Medal. Picture: AFP

GO BUSH

Steve O’Keefe’s call to take some Sheffield Shield matches beyond the black stump have plenty of merit.

Australia may have pummelled Sri Lanka in Galle but a tour of India in two years will be an infinitely tougher proposition.

O’Keefe reckons to prepare for that tour Australia should prepare some seriously dusty decks, so spin-orientated that Shield teams play three spinners and even open the bowling with one of them.

Not every game. Perhaps just one game a season. It might be played in a remote town or city.

The reason Australia has won one series in India in 50 years is that it is not used to playing on these decks which is why this idea is worth a try.

Heather Knight looks dejected after England’s shameful whitewash defeat. Picture: Getty

NO EXCUSES

There was no excuse for the English women’s team to perform so horrendously on this Ashes tour.

A decade ago teams from rival nations would shrug their shoulders at being beaten by Australia and lament the fact Australia had the best system in the world and were years in advance of other nations.

But the English team now has more support staff than Australia. At least three of their players are earning just shy of a million dollars from the game annually.

As Australian captain Alyssa Healy said a few years ago when women’s cricket entered the era of full-time professionalism it simply had to accept that it would be judged in the media by professional standards. Healy welcomed that challenge.

Beaten in all seven games by Australia, England has copped a lot of criticism this summer but when you have the likes of immensely dignified former England captain Sir Alastair Cook chiming in with harsh words you know you deserve it.

Originally published as Allan Border Medal favourite Travis Head’s captaincy conundrum, will Nathan Lyon miss out like Warney?