Latest lone ranger Head calls for Cape Town collective

For Travis Head, there is a short answer and a long answer to how and why Australia let slip the Gqeberha Test.

"We had a pretty s**thouse day – as simple as that. If we don't get bowled out for 99, more than likely the Test goes to a draw," said Head. "It's pretty obvious what we did poorly."

More succinctly, it was a "strong Australian cricket team" that "had a s**t week."

But just as Head's belligerent batting method masks careful analysis of threats and opportunities, so too are there some deeper thoughts from Australia's plain-speaking opener.

And ahead of a Cape Town bout looming as a de-facto contest for the mantle of 'best Test team in the world', he is eager to address an emerging trend out of the early stages of their 20-Test, 12-month adventure. 

As much as Australia's batting has been in the gun, they have ticked several boxes since the start of that run in August's Top End series against Bangladesh.

Top-five batters making sizeable scores?

Head's 121 in Gqeberha marked the sixth time there's been a fifty-plus individual total from seven innings over the four Tests against Bangladesh and South Africa.

Different batters making those contributions?

Cameron Green (104 against in Darwin's first innings, 67 in Mackay), Matthew Renshaw (190 and 82 in Durban) and Steve Smith (71 in Darwin's second innings) have also put their hands up to offer a reasonable spread of contributors.

In that sense, the inability for anyone to manage more than Smith's 28 in the all-out 99 debacle leaves that batting effort as the outlier.

But, as Head points out, none of the players who have made substantial scores in their four Tests so far benefited from sustained support; not once has there been a second fifty-plus total in any of those innings.

"We've spoken as a group going into this series that we've sort of had one individual each time – and they've always been different individuals – but we haven't been able to get that collective batting day that we would desire as a team," he said.

"If you look through it – you look at Greeny in Darwin, Mackay, we batted once and (210) was enough for two innings (to win). Then you look at last week with 'Renners' (Renshaw) and the game he had.

"This game (in Gqeberha) I was able to step up and get runs – but it's always been one individual at a time and we haven't been able to get that collective. We talked about that (going) into this series."

Head's contention also bears out in Australia's partnership numbers from recent Tests.

In those four Tests, the 92 runs he put on with Marnus Labuschagne in Gqeberha's second innings marked only the fourth 50-plus union between two players picked to bat in the top five.

Australia's highest partnership was the 134 put on between Renshaw and Nathan Lyon in Durban. Indeed four of the Aussies' best nine stands in South Africa have involved a frontline bowler.

Compare that to last summer's Ashes in which Australia recorded at least one 80-plus stand between two top-five batters in all four of the Tests they won. None of their best nine partnerships involved a bowler.

"'Renners' was outstanding last week … and that's what does win you games. Individual performance (can), but as a collective … more supportive roles around that would go a long way," said Head.

"It's something that the team's been really good at over a long period of time, is being able to build substantial partnerships to win games of cricket.

"We just haven't been able to find that in the last couple of months. It's very hard to put a finger on why. We're playing some exceptional attacks in some trying conditions. But it's not a lack of trying."

On his own success in Gqeberha's third innings, Head insisted little had changed in his outlook in his fight to force a draw despite the 155 balls it took him to reach triple figures marking his slowest ton since the first two of his Test career in 2019. 

"You take a lot into account – they'd bowled twice (in a row), slightly fatigued, it's a lot easier obviously facing them after they've already bowled 30 or 40 overs," he said of his 13th Test hundred, and second abroad. "So (I'm) under no illusion it wasn't as difficult as walking out there with fresh bowlers. But nice to do the job."

With top-order changes mooted for Newlands given the pending availability of Cameron Green and Josh Inglis, Head's place as an opener appears cemented for now after posting his fourth hundred in nine Tests.

Renshaw's return to partner him could shape as a neat solution to getting Green back into the side at the expense of the last man in, Nic Maddinson, even after the Queensland's star turn at No.5 in Durban.

A beneficiary of that exact middle-to-top move during last summer's Ashes, Head made it clear he is in the 'batting orders are overrated' camp that includes skipper Pat Cummins.

"Batting's batting – I don't see any difference in one and five," he said. "For me, it's the same process. It's a red ball still coming down. You've got to try to have your craft going as well as you can over and over and over again.

"There's times when you're at five and you walk out at 3-10, or you walk out (against) a second new ball, or you can walk out in a great position, 40 overs in (against) an attack that may have died off. Wherever you bat in the order, it's still the (same) process."

Qantas tour of South Africa 2026

All matches to be broadcast exclusively in Australia on Kayo and Fox Cricket

First Test: Australia won by 214 runs

Second Test: South Africa won by an innings and 31 runs

Third Test: October 27-31, Newlands, Cape Town, 7:30pm AEDT (10:30am local)

South Africa squad for second Test: Temba Bavuma (c), Marques Ackerman, David Bedingham, Matthew Breetzke, Corbin Bosch, Gerald Coetzee, Simon Harmer, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Anrich Nortje, Dane Paterson, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Kyle Verreynne.

Australia Test squad: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Cameron Green, Sam Harper, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis (second Test onwards), Matthew Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nic Maddinson, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, Matthew Renshaw, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster