Australia’s race for selection: Harris, Bancroft, Konstas, Webster – who has a chance against India?
Chances are the space will be at the top of the order but there may also be room for another reserve batter during the delay of the collision. Here’s a look at the runners and riders.
“It is not like I will be playing for the first time in Australia A before the Test series,” he said last week. “Obviously there’s always attention in those games. Smartly, I’m not going to try to put as much pressure on myself as I have in the past. It’s just going to be a good opportunity.”
He is the new kid at 19 years old and brings a lot of excitement. Konstas has been compared to Ricky Ponting and joined him at a young age to form the big twins in the Sheffield Shield. Bailey has been careful not to lose his temper and it will be a quick rise – again against the grain of Australian men’s cricket – if he is included in the Test squad in a few weeks.
“He’s in trouble like many others,” Bailey said. “I don’t want to rule him out. Think of Cam Bancroft’s deal in a few years, Marcus Harris’ deal in a few years, they’ve both looked at Test cricket, so I think there’s a need now to put any pressure or expectation on Sam.”
But there is an opportunity for him to make the selectors think hard. He will face Scott Boland at the MCG from Sunday ahead of what could be a strong India A side. A few more hundreds against this attack and the momentum could be unstoppable.
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Renshaw was the reserve batsman against the West Indies and New Zealand earlier this year but was overlooked in the Australia A squad. He made 6 and 15 in the opening round of the Sheffield Shield against Western Australia. However, Bailey said that doesn’t mean the selectors have moved on from him, while also referring to other players with domestic experience who have had a taste of Test cricket.
“We still love Matt’s ability to play,” Bailey said. “Regarding Australia A, part of the process is about trying to identify opportunities that may exist in the short term but also making sure that we focus on improving the opportunities of those players who may be important in different roles. “Next time there’s an Australia A team there, I think Matt Renshaw, Peter Handscomb, Nic Maddinson, as three examples, are the guys we’ll continue to look at in Shield cricket.”
Another thing is that even after the first Test team is called, there will be three more rounds of the Shield before the BBL so that the players can play well and there should be backups during the series.
“I’m definitely confident in my game right now and if I get a chance I think I’ll be ready,” he said on Thursday. “But what I can do is continue to focus on what I can control and prepare well for South Australia and hopefully win my state games.”
Webster, the Tasmanian allrounder, has numbers that speak for themselves over the past two seasons. Batting he averaged 53.12 in the Sheffield Shield – including an opening century last week – and has taken 66 wickets with a combination of brisk medium pace and offspin. Add in the hands of the buckets that slip and you are the best person. The Australia A series is his chance to step it up a notch and success will keep him in shape if there is a need for another all-rounder down the track. His flexibility may make him consider a tour of Sri Lanka early next year.
Alongside Webster, Hardie is another up-and-comer and has had an excellent limited-overs tour in England, particularly with the ball and his batting in his first suit. Bailey said cricket.com.au that there was consideration of trying to get Hardie for one of the Australia A games but with Green’s injury it appeared that he was needed for the ODI and T20I games against Pakistan. There might be a chance for him to bat a bit higher in the order in ODIs. He is expected to return to the Shield match at the weekend where he is expected to play a major role in Western Australia. Hardie has not scored a Shield century since his unbeaten 174 in the 2021-22 final although he did make one against Australia A in New Zealand a few weeks later. In the last two seasons in WA he has averaged 31.45 so he may need a big season to push his case.
What about bowlers?
There is probably little mystery as to who will be the backup to the big three. It seems unlikely that Lance Morris will be considered during his return from back problems (and a recent thigh niggle) leaving Boland and Michael Neser leading the way. Sean Abbott was part of the squad when India last toured in 2020-2021 and, along with Neser, someone who would bring more batting depth.
Andrew McGlashan is deputy editor at ESPNcricinfo
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