Calls for Travis Head to replace Pat Cummins as Test captain amid dilemma around wife

With Pat Cummins likely to skip next month's tour of Sri Lanka due to the birth of his second child, there's a growing push for Travis Head to assume the Test captaincy. Steve Smith is the former captan and current vice-captain, and his leadership ban from the ball-tampering scandal has well-and-truly expired.

Smith would be the most obvious choice to replace Cummins as skipper, and the veteran batter already plays an important leadership role on field anyway. But with Smith currently 35 years old and his future in the Test arena anything but certain, there's a growing push for Head to be elevated.

Head is about to turn 31 and has many more years left in his Test career. The South Australian has been the best batter for Australia in the current series against India and has cemented himself as one of the country's most important players.

The only player in the current Test team under the age of 30 is Nathan McSweeney (25), and the side is set for a changing of the guard in coming years. Usman Khawaja is about to turn 38, Nathan Lyon is 37, Mitchell Starc will be 35 in January and Mitch Marsh is 33.

Cummins is only 31 and still has a lot of cricket ahead of him, but if Smith is on the verge of retirement it might make more sense to make Head the vice-captain. And that might involve elevating Head to the captaincy for the Sri Lanka tour if Cummins is absent. But with World Test Championship point on offer, the Aussies might stick with the familiarity of having Smith be the skipper.

Why Pat Cummins might miss Sri Lanka tour

The Aussies will play two Tests against Sri Lanka on January 29 and February 6, sparking a tricky dilemma for Cummins as his wife Becky is due around that time. The Test captain said in October he regrets how much of son Albie's first few months he missed.

"It's definitely a factor," he said about the prospect of skipping the Sri Lanka tour. "It's pretty hard to plan exactly the day, but definitely. I missed a big chunk [of son Albie's early days] last time and I want to work out how we can spend a bit more time at home for that initial period this time.

"Within reason, no one is ever going to bat an eyelid if someone needs to put their family first. We're playing cricket, it's not the end of the world. We want people to have long, successful careers for Australia, and you can't just ask them to put their life on hold to go tour the world and forget about everything else. We're pretty open when it comes to family."

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Steve Smith or Travis Head to replace Pat Cummins?

Speaking on SEN radio on Tuesday evening, reporter Michelle Bishop said: "It's obviously Steve Smith and Travis Head who are in the running to replace him (Cummins). It's an interesting one because Smith is a proven captain, but Head is so popular with the players - he's been described as 'unifying' and 'uplifting'."

Former NRL player Scott Sattler said: "I wonder if handing him the captaincy would put extra pressure on him that he doesn't need, or push him into another stratosphere...Steve Smith has certainly served his penance."