Crowd favourite Travis Head the likely replacement for Steve Smith as Aussie opener

Australian opener Usman Khawaja has backed teammate Travis Head to replace Steve Smith at the top of the batting order for the upcoming Summer of cricket.

Travis Head is firming towards being the favourite to replace Steve Smith as Australia’s new Test opening batsman this summer.

Australia’s other established opener Usman Khawaja told Fox Sports he was backing Head as the man to partner him in the bumper five-Test series against India in a left-hand double act that would most closely resemble the dynamic tempo Khawaja enjoyed with the retired David Warner.

Khawaja has been a vocal advocate for Smith moving back to his best position of No.4, and has also made it clear he personally believes Head would be the best choice to be his new partner at the top.

“At the end of the day, it’s a decision for the selectors,” Khawaja told Fox Sports.com.au.

“But if you have me opening, Labuschagne at three, Smith at four … I feel like Travis Head might be best suited.

Travis Head is a likely suitor to replace Steve Smith as Australia’s test opener. Picture: Stu Forster/Getty Images

“He’s obviously been very successful opening the batting in one-day cricket and breaking it down I’d probably lean towards him.

“But again, it’s not my decision.

“It is up to the selectors and I think they have been very good with their processes over the last couple of years.”

It’s unknown whether selectors are yet to make a decision on who will open, although it seems almost certain the call has been made to move Smith back down the order.

Australian coach Andrew McDonald has already stated that conversations about who will open the batting against India have been going on over the past couple of weeks with the main players Head, Smith, Mitchell Marsh, Marnus Labuschagne and Cameron Green all in the UK for the white ball tour against England.

National Selector George Bailey was at NSW’s opening one-day match of the domestic season against Western Australia on Sunday, with McDonald declaring selectors will inform Blues coach Greg Shipperd of their plans for Smith before the Shield season stars.

Shipperd has indicated he will try and align with Australia’s plans in terms of where he bats Smith.

Steve Smith is likely to move to the middle order. Picture: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

Every indication suggests Smith will move back to the middle-order after the experiment to open with him last summer failed to ignite the Australian top six as hoped.

If selectors do decide to lock in Head as a Test opener, it would appear they are likely to receive support from new South Australian coach Ryan Harris to open with Head for any Sheffield Shield matches he’s available for.

In an interview with cricket.com.au, Harris said he was open to the prospect of Head at the top of the order – regardless of what Australian selectors were thinking.

“We’re not 100 per cent decided on the (South Australia) batting line-up just yet,” Harris told cricket.com.au.

“I think we’ve got Heady for the first game, so he might come in and open, we just don’t know.”

The biggest clue so far from McDonald is that Australia are set to go into the first Test against India with the same top six batters, effectively ruling out the hopes of a specialist opener like Cameron Bancroft, Nic Maddinson, Marcus Harris or Matthew Renshaw to break into the team.

It’s unlikely that Cameron Bancroft would be recalled to the Australian Test team. Picture: Izhar Khan/Getty Images)

Nic Maddinson finds himself in a similar spot. Picture: Mark Evans/Getty Images

There have previously been reservations about Head opening in faster, bouncier conditions in Australia.

Marsh, Labuschagne and Green are the other options to move up if Smith is moved down.

As previously reported by this masthead, the older man Marsh is a genuine consideration to open because it would allow Head, one of the future staples of the line-up, to stay at No.5 where he has dominated.

Head opens for the ODI team and smashed another massive century against England last week.

Originally published as Crowd favourite Travis Head the likely replacement for Steve Smith as Aussie opener