Shane Watson will open the batting for Australia in the Ashes after the allrounder was given the full support of new coach Darren Lehmann.
Watson opened the batting for the Australians in their opening tour match against Somerset in Taunton on Wednesday, and that’s how it will stay for the big English summer ahead.
An extraordinary late flurry of wickets in which Australia’s quicks took six wickets for no runs in the space of 29 balls saw the tourists fight back from a worrying position to bowl Somerset out for 320 on day one.
Watson and Ed Cowan then got through one over for the Australians to finish 0-2 at stumps.
Fast bowlers Mitchell Starc (4-33) and James Pattinson (4-56) starred with the ball but the talking point after the match was Watson.
The 32-year-old hasn’t opened in a Test match since November 2011 in South Africa, despite it being his preferred position.
In various other roles in the order he’s struggled for consistency but Lehmann has given Watson an assurance he’ll lead off for Australia in the first Test against England at Trent Bridge in two weeks.
“Yes. He’ll be opening for us,” Lehmann said.
“That’s where we want him to bat and he’s done really well for us there.
“We’re quite keen for him to open and to have a big part in the Ashes and obviously make a lot of runs for us and start the innings up well.”
Watson didn’t bowl on Wednesday, but Lehmann said he would roll the arm over in Australia’s second tour game against Worcestershire next week.
With the bat, Watson averages 43 opening compared to his overall career average of 35, while his two Test centuries have also come at the top of the order.
Cowan and recalled veteran Chris Rogers will now fight it out for the right to partner Watson in the first Test.
Rogers has the runs on the board in English county cricket, but Cowan has the luxury of playing this match in Taunton.
Lehmann said he wouldn’t speculate on other positions in his order, but made it clear he was looking for runs.
“If you perform you’ll have a chance to play in the first Test. We want to give everyone in our squad the opportunity to perform well in the tour games,” he said.
Lehmann was satisfied captain Michael Clarke’s back pulled up well in his first day’s cricket in three months.
Clarke showed no problem with movement when he took a spectacular juggling catch to his left off the bowling of Nathan Lyon to remove Nick Compton for 81.
Compton combined in a 170-run second wicket stand with Chris Jones, who made his maiden first-class century of 130.
Australia’s bowlers struggled for answers in the first two sessions, showing there’s a lot of improvement needed before the first Test.
But they roared home with the second new ball.
Starc, who recently had ankle surgery, looked short of a gallop for most of the day, but bounced back brilliantly with some menacing in-swingers in the final session.
James Faulkner (1-70) also had his strong moments, and spinner Lyon (1-75) showed some encouraging signs.
Peter Siddle (0-62) looked rusty and bowled too short.
“We got it right with the second new ball. I thought we didn’t get it right with the first one. So that’s something we’ve got to work on,” Lehmann said.
“All in all a good result at the end of the day.”
MervUK
Guest
Nz are a better side than australia IMO
Australian Rules
Guest
Right you are. It was brought forward one year to 2015 to reduce the time in between.
Nudge
Guest
Well said
Jonny Boy Jnr
Guest
Stick to commenting on rugby Red Kev. Your obsession with tearing down Watson is tedious. Find me a decent replacement who doesn't put pressure on the side with 120 ball 30's like Cowan and I will get on board. The batting options are too limited and we will need his swing bowling in English conditions
Brendon
Guest
Rogers Watson Cowan Clarke Khawaja Hughes
Brendon
Guest
Bailey has been our best ODI bat in the last 12 months and averages something ridiculously low in shield. I'd love to see him perform in the longer form, but so far it's been nothing
Brendon
Guest
Perhaps though, the order hasn't been right up until now, there's a couple of blokes there that have been pigeon holed as openers that I think may be decent middle order players. Cowan could play three, that stops us sacrificing a young fella every couple of years and I'm sure Rogers would bat anywhere they asked, opening would be ideal but if needed he'd be good coming in at 6 as well. Maybe a shake-up is what we need?
Brendon
Guest
No way Warner gets a run in the first
Brendon
Guest
Yep, I'm looking at it like this - Watson says he wants to open, well he gets his wish, now there's no reason not to perform. Sink or swim
Brendon
Guest
Phil Hughes? Just joshin, I love ya hughesy, go get em!
Dcnz
Guest
The series will be decided by the Aussie top four... I have watched a lot of England recently vs NZ ... Australia will be competitive .. However KP is back soon maybe tonight for the T20 v NZ and he just hit 177 not out in a county match .. So England will have Cook Compton Trott KP Bell Prior etc to try and score more runs against ....
Timmuh
Roar Guru
We have five openers in the squad, and that doesn't sound completely stupid. (Not a realistic option, but not stupid.) I think that says as much about the batting as anything else.
cuzza
Guest
I agree with Ronan: 1.Watson 2.Cowan 3.Rogers 4.Clarke 5.Khawaja 6.Smith i am not convinces by Khawaja but we don't have anything else. Smith deserves a shot after India as a batsman.
Gr8rWeStr
Guest
Watson opened in the first two series with Clarke as captain, Watson his vice, producing the following: 2011 in SL (inn. 5, av. 17.40, HS 36) 2011/12 in Aus. v SA (inn 4, av. 23.75, HS 88, 50′s 1) To blame his loss of form all on Clarke not 'backing' him as an opener seems incredibly simplistic to me.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
I have no problem with Clarke staying at 5. But Boof earlier this year strongly questioned why Clarke wasn't batting 4 so I'm just assuming there is a fair chance they will make that move. I would rather keep Cowan opening because there is already going to be enough upheaval in the makeup and structure of our top 7 without making another change. It's just unnecessary fiddling to me.
SreenivasanOZfanfromIndia
Guest
you are spot on mate....Watson was comfortable under Ponting he provided crucial starts and it was because Ponting backed WATSON everytime...it is upto to the Middle order to perform...Their clearly is a clash of egos between Clarke and Watson...They should just focus on the team rather than individuall performances...
James
Guest
it may sound silly but why not siddle, someone who can kind of be a night watchmen but who jsut bats at the top to blunt the new ball for as long as he can so that the very inexperienced australian 'batsmen' to come dont face the brand new ball. anyone else who would usually open seems kinda rubbish.
Vicboy
Roar Rookie
Do we have any other right handed options than Smith? To bat for Australia in test matches you should be a top 4 bat in Shield cricket, and be plundering runs. Surely the Cameron White experiment shows that (only now batting at 4). We have too many left handers for Swann to bowl at if we do get going. Can Hussey teach some blokes to swap hands!?
Vicboy
Roar Rookie
Do we have any other right handed options than Smith? To bat for Australia in test matches you should be a top 4 bat in Shield cricket, and be plundering runs. Surely the Cameron White experiment shows that (only now batting at 4). We have too many left handers for Swann to bowl at if we do get going. Can Hussey teach some blokes to swap hands!?
Behold
Roar Rookie
Lehmann could be just the man to take Watson to the next level. Rogers, Watson looks a whole lot better than Cowan, Warner in my opinion.