Hasan Mahmud took 6 for 55 as Australia were bowled out for 198 in the Darwin Test against Bangladesh on August 13. Openers Travis Head (22) and Jake Weatherald (23) both fell cheaply. In the second innings, Mahmud removed both again: Weatherald for a duck, Head for 17.
“Very, very poor. You can’t excuse some of the technical issues and flaws we saw from the top order in particular.”
Ricky Ponting, SEN’s Fireball, August 13, 2026
This was the fourth consecutive series opener where Australia’s top order collapsed on day one. India did it in Perth 2024. South Africa at Lord’s 2025. England in the Ashes opener. Now Bangladesh in Darwin. The common thread every time: the opening partnership failed to absorb the new ball.
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Six Openers, No Answer Since Warner
David Warner retired in January 2024 as Australia’s most prolific Test opener: 26 hundreds, the highest run tally of any Australian opener in history.
Since then, six different batters have been tried at the top.
| Opener | When | How it ended |
|---|---|---|
| Steve Smith | vs WI & NZ, early 2024 | 4 Tests. Best: 91*. Returned to No.4 |
| Nathan McSweeney | vs India, late 2024 | 3 Tests. Avg 14.40. Dropped |
| Sam Konstas | vs India, Dec 2024 | 2 Tests. Debut 60. Then dropped |
| Travis Head | vs SL, Jan 2025 onward | Moved between opener and No.5 depending on series |
| Marnus Labuschagne | WTC Final, Jun 2025 | 1 Test as opener. Australia lost |
| Jake Weatherald | Ashes 2025-26 onward | Starts consistently but has not converted beyond 72 |
Head and Weatherald now open together. Neither was a Test opener before Warner left.
Selector George Bailey said in 2025 that the opening position does not need a specialist. Meanwhile, Cameron Bancroft led the Sheffield Shield run charts for consecutive seasons and was never picked. Marcus Harris and Matt Renshaw were also passed over.
“I think opening is a specialist job. The guys that have been waiting to get into the team for a while deserve the first crack at it.”
Travis Head, Perth, December 2023
Head said that before he ended up doing the job himself.
Warner acknowledged the failure after watching the Ashes.
“The thing is in Australian cricket is we haven’t really had an opener to cement that position.”
David Warner, The Age, November 2025
Jake Weatherald appears set to continue as Australia’s Test opener having been handed a full central contract for 2026-27, but fast bowler Jhye Richardson has surprisingly been cut from the list https://t.co/0RNx1Tfe0S
— Cricinfo (@cricinfo) April 1, 2026
Australia tour South Africa in September and India for five Tests starting January 2027. The opening question is the single biggest vulnerability heading into that stretch.
Insider Read
Warner was not just a run-scorer at the top. He was a counterattacker who disrupted the bowlers’ plans before they could settle into their lengths. That took pressure off Khawaja at the other end and changed the equation for the entire top order. Without that dynamic, Australia’s openers have absorbed pressure without releasing it.
The reason none of the six replacements have worked is not about talent. Opening the batting means facing the bowlers at full intensity on a pitch that has not been worn in, with a ball that swings and seams at its most. That combination demands a technique and patience built over years of domestic opening. You cannot manufacture it by shuffling a middle-order batter up the order for a series.
“Opening’s not easy, it’s tough work. I’ve batted one, two, three, four, five and six for Australia and I can tell you by far opening’s the hardest.”
Usman Khawaja, January 2024
Also Read:
Travis Head Not a True Opening Batter for Ashes
Ponting on Australia’s Top Order in Darwin
Josh Hazlewood Reaches 300 Test Wickets for Australia
