![travis head heads out for practice ahead of first sri lanka test photo cricket australia travis head heads out for practice ahead of first sri lanka test photo cricket australia](https://i.tribune.com.pk/media/thumbs/logo-tribune1588976358-0-450x300.webp)
Australia are unlikely to settle on their playing XI for the first Test against Sri Lanka at Galle until tomorrow morning's coin toss, but skipper Steve Smith has confirmed Travis Head will open the batting alongside Usman Khawaja.
Speculation has been rife Head would replace teenage rookie Sam Konstas at the top of the order after the former impressed when filling in for injured opener David Warner in the final two Tests of Australia's most recent subcontinent sojourn, to India in 2023.
Smith said finalisation of the line-up would be delayed because of the ever-changing nature of the Galle pitch, which underwent a significant shaving of grass yesterday afternoon once Australia had completed their training session and left the venue.
With all options on the table, but a likely focus on spin bowling, it's unclear if Konstas will retain his place as a middle-order batter but Smith claimed Head was "locked in" for the two Tests with few other radical changes expected.
"Trav will go to the top, outside of that I think it will be pretty stable," Smith told reporters prior to Australia's final pre-Test training session.
"I don't see it being a great deal of change from that.
"The selectors liked what they saw in India when he (Head) had that opportunity.
"He got after the new ball, scored quickly and put the pressure on them straight away so I guess similar thinking here."
Smith said regardless of whether Konstas, who blazed onto the Test stage with an audacious half-century against India on Boxing Day, is re-cast as a middle-order player, the Sri Lanka tour will prove an invaluable learning experience for him.
The 19-year-old has shown a markedly different temperament in the practice nets both at Galle and during the preceding training camp at Dubai, with studied defence and textbook drives replacing the reverse ramps and scoop shots he unfurled against India's quicks.
"He's going to have a lot of practice if he doesn't play, which in itself is great for development," Smith said of Konstas.
"I only have to think back to 2013 (in India) where I didn't play the first two Tests, and just the amount of balls I was hitting in the nets and the skills I was able to develop from facing loads of net bowlers and things like that.
"So whether he plays or not, I think it's going to be a wonderful experience for him.
"He's going to learn a lot."Should Konstas be overlooked for a middle-order berth, uncapped keeper-batter Josh Inglis looms as a potential replacement for his Test debut.
Nathan McSweeney, who endured a tough start to his Test career as an opener during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy campaign and lost his place after three matches, is the other auxiliary batter in the squad and offers some handy off-spin bowling as well.
Smith has recovered better than expected from the elbow injury he sustained while fielding in the BBL earlier this month, and is batting without needing tape applied to his damaged arm - though he admits he won't be able to throw when in the field.
And left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann seems certain to come under consideration for a Test recall for the first time since the 2023 India tour despite fracturing his right thumb, also while playing for his BBL team a fortnight ago.
"Apparently the surgeon's done an incredible job for him to be able to field and do some of the things he (Kuhnemann) has been able to do the last couple of days, we're a bit gobsmacked," Smith said.
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