Ahead of the upcoming Ashes series against England, Former captain Ricky Ponting has suggested Australia to play Head at the No. 3 spot. Ponting believes that vice-captain Head’s aggressive approach could give Australia early momentum against England’s pace attack in the home Ashes series.
The ICC Hall of Famer feels that playing Head at No. 3 spot could create space for all-rounders Cameron Green and Beau Webster to bat together in the middle order as Australia look to keep hold of the urn and carry on in their ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 campaign.
“As a young bloke you used to come into the side as a No.5 or No.6 player and eventually you worked your way up and find yourself in a No.3 spot. So they could think about doing that with Travis Head, they could move him up to No.3,” Ponting told radio station SEN on Monday.
“The way England play their cricket, to have someone like Travis Head coming in at No.3 and be able to put some pressure back on the likes of Jofra Archer and Mark Wood and these guys, that’s another way they could look at it if they really want to get on the front foot and try and dominate England through this Ashes summer,” he added.
The 31-year-old Head has established himself at No.5 in recent years, scoring 3963 runs at an average of 41.71 with nine centuries across 60 Tests. His strike rate of close to 70 has made him one of Australia’s most game-aware and attacking batters in the middle order.
The left-hand batter also boasts impressive numbers against England at home, with 357 runs coming across four Tests in the Ashes 2021/22 edition, and a total of 910 runs across 13 matches across all venues.
However, Ponting believes a promotion could unlock even greater impact, just as it did during his own career when he shifted from No.6 to No.3 during the 2001 Ashes, going on to score over 10,000 runs in that position.
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Australia’s Unsettled Batting Line-Up Ahead Of Ashes 2025-26 Series Against England
Notably, Australia’s batting order is still far from settled just months before the opening Test, and selectors are keen to assess Sheffield Shield performances before making final calls for their Ashes squad.
Ricky Ponting has endorsed Sam Konstas as David Warner’s long-term successor, tipping the youngster to partner Usman Khawaja at the top after his recent century for Australia A.
The 19-year-old, who grabbed attention with a sparkling debut against India in Melbourne last December, continued his impressive form with a 109-run knock in a high-scoring draw against India A.
“(Sam) Konstas has just done well and made a hundred for Australia A over in India, which is exactly what he needed, so I can see our top order being Konstas and Khawaja. I think the fact they’ve moved Green up to No.3 when they did in the Caribbean to me suggested they see him as that long-term No.3,” said Ponting.
“Smith will stay at four, Head at five and I would definitely keep Beau at No.6. I can’t see how they could leave Beau out of the side and keep some of the other guys in, that’s how I’m looking at it,” he added.
While evaluating Australia’s options, Ponting also examined England’s likely XI, noting their uncertainty at No. 3 and stressing that Ben Stokes’ fitness could be a key factor.
“The difference with the two teams is you can probably pick England’s team right now and you probably can’t pick ours. There’s only one chink in their armour, and that’s Ollie Pope at No.3. They’ve got young Jacob Bethell who has batted at three for them in the past, that’s one change they could make,” the former Australian skipper said.
“Ben Stokes is the pivotal one for me, if he’s fit and bowling like I saw him bowling against India, then their whole side looks completely different. He’s probably their best bowler to be honest, he’s got his pace back, he’s fitter than he’s been.
He’s given up the drink, and he’s really focused on being a long-term all-rounder for England, for as long as he can. If Stokes is fit, if Wood and Archer are, in fact, fit, they will have a really strong attack that will definitely be causing the Aussies a few nervous moments,” he added.
In England’s recent Test series that ended in a draw against India, captain Ben Stokes impressed with the ball, delivering long spells to claim vital breakthroughs. He wrapped up the series with 17 wickets in four matches and will aim to replicate that form when November arrives.
The first Ashes Test between England and Australia is set to begin on November 21 in Perth.