Head first to face music amid Paine revelation

As a top-order batter hunted by opposition bowlers since arriving in Premier Cricket at age 15, Travis Head has become adept at sniffing the breeze and anticipating what's coming his way.

But when he walked through the Clarrie Grimmett Gates at Adelaide Oval shortly after 1.30pm local time today, Head was confronted by the imperfect storm of a major international cricket story about to break and a phalanx of journalists – already assembled for an altogether different reason – chasing his response.

That the 27-year-old was able to bat away questions about the real-time drama engulfing former Test captain Tim Paine as adroitly as he did highlighted why the national selection panel installed him alongside Pat Cummins as Paine's pair of deputies two years ago.

And despite being relieved of the vice-captaincy a year ago, and surrendering his place in Australia's Test team a month or so later, Head had no hesitation in endorsing Cummins as a skipper-in-waiting who "oozes leadership".

Albeit with the clear caveat those capabilities could wait until opportunity fully presented itself, given he – unlike the press pack who kept an eye on Paine's news coming out of Hobart, and an ear on the answers coming from Head – was oblivious to events across Bass Strait that were moving at pace.

It was only when the South Australia captain was asked if his Redbacks teammate and recently ordained Test back-up keeper Alex Carey was ready to fill Paine's position that Head began nervously shifting his weight from foot to foot as he searched for the appropriate response.

As a natural strokeplayer who understands the perils of going after a bouncer with two fielders on the fence behind square, Head's hesitation was compounded by not knowing how the ball was behaving off the pitch.

For all he was aware – and for all anyone still understands – Paine had announced he was stepping down as Australia captain, but his future as a member of the team to take on England in the first Ashes Test at the Gabba from December 8 was unknown.

In the absence of such clarity, and with Carey seemingly next in line for the Test keeper's job having been part of Australia's squad for the ultimately postponed tour of South Africa earlier this year and the Australia A team involved in Ashes preparations, he could hardly choose not to endorse his mate.

Nor could he sing his SA teammate's praises too loudly while Paine's position was in limbo.

So Head once again neatly traversed the middle ground.

"He's got a great opportunity in the A team," Head said of Carey, employing the politicians' standard tool of providing the answer you deem best rather than directly addressing the question you're asked.

"It's great to see him in that squad, I think he's deserved that.

"He probably hasn't started the season the way he would have liked, but the way he's hitting the ball, the way he's moving, how hard he's working at training is great to see.

"I think he's really close to getting a big score ... and he's in a great space as well.

"He's keeping exceptionally well, he's catching it beautifully which has never been an issue for Alex and he works really hard on his batting so fingers crossed he gets plenty of runs.

"I think that will make sure he's ready for an A-tour game (against England Lions in Brisbane from December 9), and potentially if he gets the opportunity throughout the summer and there's also other Test series to come.

"Next year we go to Pakistan, we go to Sri Lanka as well so there's so many opportunities over the next two years for Alex, and this is the start of that.

"We've got that intra-squad game (from December 1) and then he's got the A-game, so going into the first Test he's got an opportunity to really put his foot down and own that spot for the future."

Even if he had been aware of the final line in today' statement from CA's board chair Richard Freudenstein – that Paine "will continue to be available for selection in the Test team through the Ashes summer" – there was sufficient conjecture for him to remain non-committal.

After all, Paine has not played competitive cricket since the completion of last season and two months ago underwent delicate surgery to repair a disc in his neck, a procedure from which he has been slowly recovering.

The 36-year-old was due to make his return to the playing field in Hobart's Premier Cricket competition tomorrow, and then turn out for his first four-day game of the summer with Tasmania's second XI team against South Australia from Monday.

It's unclear whether that remains the plan, but he is part of the 15-man squad named this week for the first two Vodafone Tests against England and – at this stage – Carey is not.

Whether Paine's lack of recent match practice means he's not deemed to currently be in Australia's best XI now that he's stepped down from the captaincy is a decision for the national selection panel – chair George Bailey, men's team coach Justin Langer and newly installed Tony Dodemaide.

But while Head notes that Carey has not enjoyed the batting form he would have hoped for so far this summer, he's scored 148 more first-class runs (at average 29.60) than either of the alternative keepers in the Test (Paine) or Australia A (Josh Inglis) squads.

Inglis has not played a first-class match this summer because he was part of Australia's triumphant T20 World Cup squad that returned from the UAE earlier this week, and is currently undertaking quarantine on the Gold Coast.

The two most productive keeper-batters in the Marsh Sheffield Shield this season – Western Australia's Josh Philippe and Queensland's Jimmy Peirson – are not in either national squad, and between them boast an aggregate of three ODIs and 10 T20Is for their country, all of them by Philippe this year.

Carey can point to 45 ODIs (including captain of the recent three-game series win in the West Indies) and 38 T20Is in addition to being appointed skipper of the Australia A team against the touring Indian outfit last summer.

That experience might prove a significant factor if the selectors decide a change is required behind the stumps as well as at the front of the team photo.

But it certainly wasn't a question Head was in a position to answer as he negotiated a final spell from his inquisitors this afternoon.

"It would be awesome, having played a bit of one-day cricket with him as well," he said when asked how exciting it would be to line up alongside Carey in the opening Test, before adding that another Redback – uncapped opener Henry Hunt – was also in the Australia A line-up.

"With your South Australia hat on, you want to see as many as you can in there.

"To have a couple of your closest mates in there, it's going to be something I'm looking forward to.

"And if it doesn't happen in this summer then I know it's going to happen in the future."

At which point, Head took a deep breath and gracefully retired from camera shot.

Largely unhurt, though mildly unnerved.

Vodafone Men's Ashes v England

Tour Matches

Nov 23-25: England v England Lions, Brisbane

Nov 30 – Dec 3: England v England Lions, Brisbane

Dec 1-3: Australian intra-squad match, Brisbane

Dec 9-12: Australia A v England Lions, Brisbane

Tests

First Test: December 8-12, The Gabba

Second Test: December 16-20, Adelaide Oval

Third Test: December 26-30, MCG

Fourth Test: January 5-9, SCG

Fifth Test: January 14-18, Perth Stadium