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The search continues for Australia's number three

Roar Rookie
29th October, 2014
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Usman Khawaja is one of the few Aussie cricketers that should be guaranteed selection for the rest of the summer. (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard)
Roar Rookie
29th October, 2014
1

Australia continues to search for a player who can fill the void in arguably the most important position in any batting line-up: number three.

It has been more than 37 months since Shaun Marsh’s debut century convinced selectors they had finally found their replacement for Ricky Ponting.

Shaun suffered from inconsistency and injury and was finally replaced. Since that time Australia has had a rotating door policy at first drop.

Usman Khawaja, Shane Watson, Rob Quiney, Phil Hughes, Ed Cowan and incumbent Alex Doolan have all had attempts at the job but failed to make it their own. Michael Clarke even had a go in India, but he only lasted one ball before scuttling back down the order.

The question of who should hold down number three continues to plague selectors. After Doolan fell to two weak dismissals in Dubai, concerns have been raised about his ability to handle the difficult job. The only real replacement available in the squad for Doolan is Hughes, who raises concerns of his own.

At number three Australia needs reliability and stability. Traditionally, a new number three has come from within the middle order. After a brief stint a year after his debut, it took Ponting five years in the Test team to climb his way up the order to number three. David Boon was given 12 months to establish himself in the lower middle order before rocketing to the top of the innings. Even Sir Donald Bradman had to wait two years to move up to number three.

In recent times Australia hasn’t had the advantage of middle-order consistency to build towards a number three. Clarke clearly performs better the lower he bats, and he is possibly the most unreliable choice to take over the number three, having failed to reach 31 in 25 of his last 30 innings.

Hughes seems the natural choice to take over should Doolan be dismissed, given he is the only viable option in the squad, yet his output on the international stage has plummeted since his success against the pace of South Africa. He remains a work in progress, who might never be what everyone else wants him to be.

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Although injured or returning from injury respectively, Australia’s two best options probably remain Khawaja and Watson. There has rarely been a more unreliable sports player than Shane Watson, but he is a top-order player and definitely remains suited to a position close to the new ball.

Khawaja’s solid temperament and classy technique appeal to cricket fans and he looks like a viable top-order option. Khawaja is set to miss three weeks with a broken thumb, but his impressive one day tournament lays the foundation for a strong season.

Rumours persist of Steve Smith preparing to step into the void at number three, but with a still unfinished technique, Smith is far better off trying to put together a consistent summer in the middle order. As an inexperienced Test player, Smith still delivers disappointing dismissals, but he is certainly not alone in this team.

Australia will continue to search for their next number three throughout the summer, but after three years without Ponting, the position still needs filling. If Mitchell Johnson runs through Pakistan the problem will be ignored, but Australia will need to find a strong number three in the near future.

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