Travis Head defends Australia’s Test batters against former players’ criticism

Travis Head defended Australia’s Test batting group from criticism by former players in South Africa ahead of Friday’s first Test against the hosts in Durban. Australia’s vice-captain said the modern game and batting conditions had changed, while separate ABC News analysis shows Test batters are averaging less and losing wickets more quickly than in earlier decades.

Head said the group had been unfairly judged by past players who had ‘put the bullet through’ current players. He did not identify any particular critic or comment. His remarks came after former opener Matthew Hayden criticised selectors over Nic Maddinson’s call-up, according to an Australian Associated Press report published by the Guardian.

What Travis Head said about former Australia players

Head said the present side was strong enough to handle criticism, even when it came from players the group respected. ‘It’s unfortunate sometimes to have some of that feedback from a generation of players that we have huge respect for,’ he said. He also acknowledged that commentary was part of the former players’ work. The distinction matters: Head criticised the way the current side was assessed, without naming an individual as the target of his response.

He referred to a ‘sticky situation’ with the earlier generation a few years ago. The AAP report described that as an apparent reference to the divide surrounding Justin Langer’s departure as Australia coach. Langer left after the 2021–22 Ashes victory, having rejected a six-month contract offer, the report said. Head added that the generations played for the same cause and that the current players respected those who came before them.

What the Test batting figures show

ABC reporter David Mark, working with ABC radio cricket statistician Ric Finlay, analysed Test batters in positions one to seven from 1987 through the latest England–Pakistan Test available at publication. Their rolling five-year average was at a 40-year low, after a period of higher averages roughly between 2003 and 2014. That provides broader context for Head’s complaint: the fall is visible across Test cricket, beyond Australia’s current lineup.

The ABC analysis found that batters were scoring more quickly even as wickets fell sooner. Strike rates rose from 41.34 to 58.13 runs per 100 balls in the comparison reported by ABC. For top-order batters, the rolling average time between wickets fell from more than 85 balls in 1989 to 58 balls in 2026. Faster scoring, therefore, has not meant that batters are staying in for longer.

Australia’s recent figures show why its batting is under scrutiny despite the team’s results. In 18 Tests since the start of the 2024 home Border–Gavaskar Trophy, only Steve Smith, at 49.4, Head, at 46.25, and Alex Carey, at 40.3, averaged more than 40, ABC reported. Australia won 13 of those matches, with its bowlers repeatedly helping it recover from difficult batting positions. The wins and the batting concerns can both be true.

Why Head points to playing conditions

Head argued that pitches in Sheffield Shield and Test cricket were different from those faced by earlier generations. ‘We have huge respect for what’s come before us, but it’s a completely different game,’ he said. He pointed to the ball doing more and to matches finishing more quickly. The AAP report also said Test batting averages had fallen by close to 20 per cent since the end of the 2010s, with Sheffield Shield averages declining since the mid-2000s.

Former Australia coach Darren Lehmann gave ABC a broader list of possible contributors: T20 batting habits, wickets offering more seam or spin, changes to the ball and data used to target batters’ weaknesses. He suggested flatter wickets or removing lacquer from balls as possible ways to shift the balance toward batters. Those are Lehmann’s explanations and proposals, rather than findings that any one factor caused the statistical trend.

The figures establish a change in batting outcomes; they cannot determine on their own whether pitches, equipment, playing style or another factor drove it. Head’s assessment of present conditions is part of that debate. The South Africa series will provide a fresh test of Australia’s batting, beginning with the scheduled match in Durban on Friday, but its result was unknown when he spoke.