Happy Head takes a swing at cricketing convention

Travis Head channelling Happy Gilmore? Add it to the list of traits that make him Australia's loveable-larrikin cricketer.

It was with a nod to the iconic "gold jacket, green jacket – who gives a shit?" line that Head gave his take on whether day-night cricket remains an appropriate addition to the Ashes' 143-year rivalry.

"Pink ball, white ball, red ball – I won't use the next word," the moustachioed 31-year-old told reporters with a knowing smile in Brisbane on Sunday, adding: "Who really cares?"

The Adam Sandler-played knockabout main character's indifference for golf's traditions was the central theme of Happy Gilmore. Head is now the central figure in Australia considering whether to give one of cricket's long-held conventions equally short shrift.

For now, the hosts have stalled on a decision on where their breezy left-hander will bat against England in the second NRMA Insurance Test beginning Thursday at the Gabba.

But it is clear they are giving significant thought to how they might add a more fluid outlook on how their batters are deployed to the mix of variables presented by pink-ball cricket.

Andrew McDonald this week revealed the call to open with Head in Perth's fourth-innings run chase came following years of tactical discussions over the merits of a less structured view of batting orders, which captain Pat Cummins has bluntly labelled "overrated".

Head's success in the first Test, as well as the lingering question mark over Usman Khawaja's availability for his home Test after he suffered back spasms in the series opener, could now turbo-charge Australia's embrace of a tradition-be-damned approach.

"I agree with Pat. I think you could use this order and these players in a range of different ways, and whatever way that is (needed) to win games of cricket," said Head.

"We've seen it in red ball, but particularly pink ball as well – non-traditional stuff with double nightwatchmen, and how you use orders, how you use players in certain situations.

"So I agree with Pat that (batting orders) are slightly overrated. The traditionalists will say that that's how it's got to be (but) this is where the game's going – when to use that and when's the right time?

"We're going to have good moments of it; we're going to have bad moments of it. But it's ever evolving.

"We've thrown out scenarios a fair bit over the last few years. We've talked about that a lot – how do you get there, and what personnel do you have to be able to potentially do that, and the personalities in the line-up.

"You've seen it a little bit in the T20 team where we're trying to push the boundaries in power hitting, and do we take singles at certain stages?

"I feel like I can play in any role, so I'm open to (opening). It's just trying to work it out in game and in moments when that may come out and when you may use that.

"But all options on the table, and (they) have been for a long period of time (to see) where this team can potentially get better and where there's opportunities to potentially win games of cricket in moments. It's always been on the table."

Head reacquainted himself with the pink ball with a long hit on the Gabba practice wickets under lights on Sunday evening. Khawaja was sighted at the optional training session but did not bat in the nets.

Queensland's soon-to-be demolished cricket venue (it will be bulldozed following the 2032 Olympics) has seen the best and the worst of Head over recent years.

Two of his best Test knocks, 152 in the '21-22 Ashes opener and a repeat of the same score against India last summer, were sandwiched by three consecutive ducks (including a king pair in Australia's defeat to West Indies in 2024), while his eight Sheffield Shield innings here have yielded an average of 12.50.

Wherever he bats, Head is certain to be the wicket England hunts over any other for the remainder of the series. 

Head's opponents are likely to have watched back more footage of his breathtaking century in Perth than he has in the week since. The South Australian suggested his downtime between Tests has instead been spent playing with two young children at local Adelaide playgrounds. 

But his ability to pick apart the details of his 83-ball 123 in Perth, which endures as a subject of fascination more than a week on from the two-day Test, underscores his method behind his sometimes seemingly mad approach to long-form batting.

"I was just really conscious about how I was going to start my innings," said Head, who scored just three runs from his first 14 balls before a gradual escalation in aggression against England's tiring seamers.

"I'm very lucky to have done it (opening) a fair bit in international cricket already. I know it's white-ball cricket, but it's still a 10-20 minute changeover from going to fielding to batting, and I've done that quite regularly.

"I thought that my first 30 balls were really sound, and then when their game plan shifted, my mindset shifted as well. I was very calm in the situation. 

"I was pretty keen to do it (open), so my mind was sort of switched on from (England being) six, seven or eight down when it was declared that (Khawaja) probably won't be able to get back out in the field.

"It's all about risk evaluation and where you may lose your wicket … I've always tried to work percentages in my favour."

Australia's pink-ball defeat to the Shamar Joseph-inspired Windies at the Gabba two summers ago marked their first defeat from 14 matches of a format still treated with suspicion by the rest of the Test-cricket playing world.

Joe Root, the game's leading run-scorer among active players, gently indicated today that his preference would be for Ashes series to feature red-ball contests exclusively, while also acknowledging the overall success of Test cricket under lights in this country.

Head qualified his support of the format by suggesting his home Adelaide Oval is the pink ball's ideal venue given that ground's drop-in pitch and lush outfield provides a softer landing for a Kookaburra ball that remains more fragile than its red counterpart.

"I think the balls probably react a little bit differently on the wicket here compared to Adelaide, but we've played a couple (of Tests) here, and it's been a good venue for it," Head said having also featured in the innings-and-40-run win over Sri Lanka in a 2019 day-nighter at the Gabba.

"It's sold out four days here … we've embraced it. We've been able to put out a good product. We've been able to play really, really well with it.

"Does (the Ashes) need it, does it not? It's a great spectacle. We're going to have huge crowds again. If you win, you think it's great, and if you lose, maybe not. Both teams will have differing opinions by the end of it.

"But I think it's great for the game … it's still five days. It's just with a slightly different colour ball, and it brings a different atmosphere."

2025-26 NRMA Insurance Men's Ashes

First Test: Australia won by eight wickets

Second Test: December 4-8, The Gabba, Brisbane (D/N), 3pm AEDT

Third Test: December 17-21: Adelaide Oval, 10:30am AEDT

Fourth Test: December 26-30: MCG, Melbourne, 10:30am AEDT

Fifth Test: January 4-8: SCG, Sydney, 10:30am AEDT

Australia squad (second Test only): Steve Smith (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Brendan Doggett, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, Mitchell Starc, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster

England squad: Ben Stokes (c), Harry Brook (vc), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith (wk), Josh Tongue, Mark Wood