Mitchell Johnson: Travis Head’s move to open should be permanent and can help the transition of the Test team

Travis Head scoring another hundred as an opener feels like more than just a good moment in a good series. It feels like a shift. Not a temporary fix, not a stopgap, but a genuine look into Australia’s batting future. Moving forward, it’s hard to see Head anywhere else. This Ashes series has shown that opening the batting may well be his position now, and that changes a lot for Australian cricket. With Head entrenched at the top, Australia suddenly has flexibility. Whether it’s Jake Weatherald continuing, which he should through this series, or a new opener coming in after this series, Head provides experience, momentum, and runs. That stability then opens the middle order for the next generation, allowing younger or less-experienced batters to come in when the ball is softer, the bowlers are tiring, and the pressure has eased slightly. That’s how you build depth. That’s how you can future-proof a batting line-up. This Ashes series has been a blessing for Head in many ways. It started as a right-place, right-time moment. Usman Khawaja’s back issues in the first Test opened the door, and Head didn’t hesitate. He jumped on the opportunity and has looked completely at home ever since. There’s no scrambling, no searching for rhythm, just clarity. He’s played with intent, but not recklessness. Positive, but controlled. Exactly what Australia has needed at the top. He takes the game on, and that has taken pressure off Weatherald this series for him to play good Test cricket. Weatherald was unlucky in the second Test in Adelaide with an lbw decision he didn’t referr, which would have been overturned as the ball pitched outside leg. But as a pairing, Weatherald and Head have been exciting to watch. They’ve put pressure back on England’s bowlers, taken the initiative early, and set the tone for Australia’s innings. And that’s the key, tone. Test cricket at the top level is fascinating because everyone has the skills. Everyone can hit the ball. Bowlers can bowl the ball down the other end. Everyone has trained hard. What separates players is the mind. The ability to stay clear, decisive, and present in big moments. That’s where players such as Head have stood out in this series, along with Mitchell Starc and Alex Carey, when it’s mattered most. They have been big moment players in this series. You might call it a purple patch but that only happens when you’ve done the work and prepared, and are also up for the fight with a strong mind. Those moments are what Test cricket produces. Not noise. Not slogans. Moments. Although the noise in an Ashes series plays a part if you can back it up. Contrast that with England. Australia haven’t talked this series up. England have. Loudly. And now, they look unsure of how to actually play the game. Three years, planning, plenty of buzzwords, even excuses through the series. Adelaide was meant to be the perfect Bazball venue: flat pitch, smaller square boundaries, fast outfield, and generally a place where batting should be enjoyed. If Bazball was ever going to leave its footprint, it was here. Instead, Australia showed something far more valuable - how to bowl on a flat pitch. Yes, they’ve shown how to bat too but by going up and down the gears. Australia’s bowling though, has been the standout element of the third Test. When it’s hot, tiring, and offering very little, the answer isn’t magic. It’s discipline. Hitting a length. Attacking the stumps. Using the short ball as a weapon. And most importantly, being willing to do it longer than the opposition. Australia have done exactly that. England haven’t. They’ve cooked their own players, physically and possibly mentally. Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer, in particular, look spent and possibly carrying a niggle or injury now. The confidence England arrived with has evaporated. You can see it in their body language in the field. Shoulders slumped. Conversations quiet. Energy flat. Even with the bat, the plans are muddled. And no specialist spinner which has cost them in this Test. Stokes’ first innings in Adelaide summed it up. Blocking. Blocking. The,n suddenly trying to accelerate without any real flow. It looked like a player that wasn’t happy with the situation. Is his team going with him? Now seeing him limp around may have an impact for the rest of the series. That’s dangerous. When belief fades, confusion takes its place. England had their moment on day two in Perth when they were in a strong position to go 1-0 up, and they blew it. Since then, they’ve been chasing a version of themselves that hasn’t shown up. Bazball without clarity becomes hesitation, and hesitation at this level is trouble. Australia, meanwhile, have stayed grounded. Head’s success at the top is a perfect example of that. No fanfare. No reinvention. Just doing what the situation demands. He’s embraced the role, and it now looks like one that belongs to him. Looking ahead, this could shape Australia’s batting for years. Head opening gives selectors options. It allows experimentation in the middle order. It buys time for younger players to grow without being thrown straight into the fire. That’s smart management, not sentiment. And for this series? The gap is widening. England look out of answers. The possibility of 5–0 is no longer dramatic talk, it’s becoming realistic. That doesn’t come from bravado. It comes from discipline, patience, and players such as Head understanding exactly who they are, and exactly what the game requires. Both right now and for the future as Australia navigates change, Head at the top looks like the right answer.