“Most likely I’d go back in the middle order and Sam would open,” Head told reporters in Galle. “But I’m glad I’m not a selector. Josh has had an amazing start, the guys are playing well, Greeny’s going to be fit. So it’s going to be hard to fit [them all] in. I think that’s what we want. We want an Australian cricket team that’s tough to get in.
“I think that’s all we’ve ever known is players that are unlucky and players that are in the team and expecting good performances. And that’s where the pressure comes [from], it’s trying to hold your spot every Test, knowing that there’s people behind you. We’re in a strong position. It’s better having seven or eight batters talked about than three or four.”
When it emerged that Konstas was likely to lose his spot, stand-in captain Steven Smith stressed the value that could be gained from still being on tour. As it transpired, Konstas spent much of the opening match ill at the team hotel but was back training with the squad on Tuesday.
“I know there was a little bit of talk around whether he might play or not, whether there’s a series that, I guess, you can blood [him]. But whether he played or not played, it’s great to have him here and great to have him experience the conditions.
“I don’t think there’s been a Test match in the history that they’ve blooded someone or thought there was a free hit. We’re here to win 2-0, and Sam’s a big part of where we’re going. There’s no doubt about it.
“For someone to come in and take the game [on] the way he did in Melbourne, the confidence he’s got, it’s a good thing to have a young kid around that’s a bit naive and just plays the game the right way. He’s got a huge future for Australia. It’ll just be how he, over the years, deals with adversity. At this stage, he looks like he deals with it really well.”
Head, named the Allan Border Medalist on Monday night after a dominant 12 months, reflected with a degree of satisfaction at being able to play the role asked of him in the opening Test, which included taking three boundaries off the opening over, although added there had not been a preconceived plan to attack from the outset.
“It was not by design to go out and score as quick as I did,” he said. “If they present an opportunity to score, I want to score. Probably disappointing [was] the fact that the one risk I took did end up being the one [that got me] out. The percentages, I still felt like I was a chance, but I did flirt with danger and was out.
“But sometimes you’ve got to take those risks and sometimes you’ve got to try and push the game. I felt that was the right moment to really try and put the foot down. I guess that’s hard to say in Test cricket, but I felt like I played well, I played positively, I played what the team needed at the time. It goes different ways in terms of what they offer and how they bowl. It was nice I was able to take the opportunity at the start of the Test.”
Andrew McGlashan is a deputy editor at ESPNcricinfo
Source: ESPN Crickinfo