Border promotes Head will represent Hayden for the India tour.

Just after middle-order dasher played poorly in a couple of series in Pakistan and Sri Lanka, Allan Border encouraged Travis Head to take a page from Matthew Hayden’s rulebook and create a strategy tailored to sub continent conditions.

Head had a stunning home Ashes performance previous summer, scoring two hundreds and winning player of the series, but his two Asian campaigns this year produced just 91 runs at 15.17, with a best score of 26.

Australia is anxious to break its Test losing streak in India (where they have only triumphed once since 2004) the following year, and Border thinks Head must alter his plan of attack in these turbulent times if he hopes to survive and subsequently flourish in Baggy Green.

The former captain is qualified to make that judgement because during his distinguished career, he amassed 1,799 Test runs in Asia at an average of 54.51, and his six centuries there (made in India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka) are unsurpassed by any of his countrymen.

Addressing Queensland Cricket’s ‘Buy a Picket’ campaign at the recently renovated Allan Border Field, Border stated, “He’s got to sit down and work out a technique better than it’s doing at the moment, that’s for sure.

“I have briefly discussed striking on spinning wickets with him.

“He needs to have good sweeping skills. They are really not ready to walk down the path and even protect, but he must utilise his feet.