Matthew Renshaw says the key to opening with Travis Head is slowing himself down. He said it after making 36 at the top of the order in Australia’s two-day tour match in Potchefstroom, which ended in a draw on 5 October.
The left-hander is holding the opening spot he won in August, when he returned to Test cricket after more than three years away. A blow to his right hand in the third ODI left no lasting damage. Scans showed only swelling.
“It’s still having good positivity. It’s more just picking the right ball, especially when you’re batting out there with ‘Trav’. It’s sort of calming yourself down a lot because you know that he’s going to be going pretty hard and playing some nice shots.”
Matthew Renshaw, after the tour match in Potchefstroom, 5 October 2026
Matthew Renshaw is enjoying batting alongside Travis Head at the top of Australia’s #WTC27 batting order 😍
More 👉 https://t.co/JsXc9oxb1s https://t.co/ii74WjBSmY
— ICC (@ICC) October 6, 2026
Leaving balls alone sounds simple. Next to a partner who opened his Ashes run with 123 off 83 balls, it is the hardest job in the side.
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When your partner is scoring fast, the scoreboard stops being your problem. That sounds like a gift, but it is a test. Every boundary at the other end tells you the bowling is there to be hit. Your hands start wanting their share, and the first ball you chase outside off stump usually ends your morning.
“Calming yourself down” means accepting a quiet end while the board races. Renshaw’s job is to see off the new ball so Head never has to face it with a fresh partner. Captains know this, and the plan against the steadier opener is always the same: keep him quiet until his patience runs out. The only answer is to not mind being quiet.
Renshaw and Head: One Test Together Before Durban
Renshaw and Head have opened together in only one Test innings. That was the second Test against Bangladesh in Mackay in August. Renshaw made 8 and Head 22, and Australia won by an innings and 51 runs to level the series 1-1.
Head is still new to the role himself. He moved up to open in the Perth Ashes Test in November 2025 after Usman Khawaja was injured, and went on to make three hundreds in the series. Before that, he had opened in only about 10 first-class matches, and he has spoken about not being a true opening batter.
Australia have been searching for a settled pair since David Warner retired. The three-Test series starts in Durban on 9 October, with Australia top of the World Test Championship table.
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