Travis Head has been reappointed as Australia’s Test vice-captain, indicating that the World Cup hero is the leading candidate to replace Pat Cummins when the national skipper decides to step down.
Ahead of the first Test of the home summer against Pakistan, which gets underway in Perth on Thursday, Head was added to Australia’s leadership group alongside Cummins and fellow vice-captain Steve Smith.
The 29-year-old was previously handed the Test vice-captaincy in early 2019 during Tim Paine’s tenure as national skipper but lost the position after he was dropped during the 2020/21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Speaking to reporters in Perth on Wednesday, Cummins emphasised the importance of giving his teammates leadership opportunities to aid Australia’s long-term succession plan.
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“Really excited to have Trav on board as the co-vice-captain,” Cummins said.
“He’s been playing for a long time, he’s always been a leader in our group, so we thought it was a good time to formally recognise that.
“While nothing’s imminent, Steve’s not going to play forever, and dare say I’m not going to captain forever, so we feel like we’ve got some responsibility to future-proof the team and start trying to give opportunities to other leaders.”
However, Cummins clarified the appointment did not guarantee Head would become Australia’s 48th Test skipper when he decided to hand over the captaincy duties.
“When you look through candidates for future captains, of course he’s going to be right up there,” Cummins continued.
“I know in my last couple of years before I become captain, being in some of those conversations as a vice-captain really helped fast-track my readiness.
“Down the track, it might be Trav, it might be someone else, but we want to make sure they’re as prepared as they can be.”
Since being dropped from the Test side in February, Head has established himself as a crucial figure in the national team across formats. He was named player of the World Cup Championship final against India after smacking 163 at The Oval before helping Australia retain the Ashes urn in England.
The left-hander clobbered 137 in last month’s triumphant World Cup final against India, also named player of the semi-final against South Africa.
Head’s captaincy potential was identified at an early age, chosen to lead South Australia’s Sheffield Shield side before his 22nd birthday. He has also captained the Redbacks in 27 List A matches and led the Adelaide Strikers to a maiden Big Bash League title in 2018.
“The personality that he brings to the team is something that we all love, and I think you see it in the way he plays his cricket,” Cummins said.
“There’s a certain amount of freedom to it. He takes the game on, he enjoys it, he always has a smile on his face. He never takes anything too seriously.
“He’s great at bringing the team together, putting his arm around players that need it.
“Sometimes you can mistake that for someone who’s not a deep thinker about the game, but I think tactically he’s excellent.
“He’s got all the makings of a really strong leader, like we’ve seen him do for South Australia for quite a few years.”
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Head joins a growing list of potential captains within the national set-up, including former white-ball skippers Alex Carey, Mitchell Marsh, Josh Hazlewood. Smith and David Warner have also led Australia across multiple formats, while Marnus Labuschagne and Cameron Green have been touted as future captains as well.
Meanwhile, Australia is yet to announce a permanent men’s T20 captain following Aaron Finch’s retirement earlier this year, with Marsh and Matthew Wade taking over the role on an interim basis.
The series opener between Australia and Pakistan gets underway at Perth Stadium on Thursday, with the first ball scheduled for 1.20pm AEDT.
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