Australiacaptain Mitchell Marsh has confirmed that he and Travis Head will be opening the innings for the side in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026 to be held in India and Sri Lanka. As Australia are ready
to host South Africa for the upcoming six-match white-ball series at home, the T20I skipper of the home side spoke to the media in Darwin, where the first T20I will be played on August 10. Both Marsh and Head have proven themselves as an opening duo in One-Day Internationals (ODI), but in the shortest form of the sport, both are yet to kick off innings together.
In a conversation with the media, Marsh said he highlighted his equation with Head and disclosed they are all geared up to be a new opening pair for Australia in T20Is. “It'll be myself and Heady up the top for the foreseeable future. Obviously, we've played a lot together, (we've) got a great relationship, so (we'll) start there,” said Marsh to the reporters. After the retirement of David Warner last year, the Aussie side tried Matthew Short, Jake Fraser-McGurk, and Glenn Maxwell as an opener with Marsh. However, with the return of Head, Marsh will be settled with the opening combination.
Australia to take on South Africa in the first T20I on August 10
After the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025 final defeat, both Australia and South Africawill lock horns for the first time against each other. In T20Is, both teams are meeting each other almost after 23 months. Back in 2023, when the Aussies toured South Africa for three T20Is, the former whitewashed the Proteas.
This time, the Marsh-led team will look to dominate South Africa again. Discussing their head-to-head records in T20Is, Australia have an upper hand with 17 wins in 25 outings. In eight instances, the Proteas have emerged victorious.
