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Shane Watson and Joe Burns should be engaged in a shootout for the troublesome number three spot over the final two Tests of this series against India.
Australia have trialled 10 players at first drop since the demise of legendary first drop Ricky Ponting.
Rather than shuffling Watson around the order yet again, he should be given two more Tests to prove whether he can hold down that pivotal position.
Statistics show Watson is a far more potent batsman when stationed in the top three. He can also be a clever and frugal bowler as he demonstrated at Brisbane, where his figures did not do justice to his value.
Due to Mitch Marsh’s injury and the effect the Brisbane heat had on the frontline quicks, Watson was called upon to bowl 28 overs. This was his heaviest workload in a Test in two years.
Michael Clarke typically has been reticent to ask Watson to bowl more than seven or eight overs a day for fear his body would malfunction once more.
Marsh’s chassis, too, is fragile but at 10 years’ younger than Watson the selectors could well favour him as their first-choice all-rounder when he returns to fitness.
Watson needs to make himself indispensable with the bat. There is no doubt he has the talent to be a prolific Test runscorer.
The most difficult task for a batsman is surviving the early part of their innings and then getting set. Watson does this with regularity but has a maddening habit of frittering away his good starts.
This series has been a microcosm of Watson’s career – confident starts, laced with some imperious stroke play, followed by a unnecessary demise due to a loose stroke.
He is one of a clutch of Australian players in the fading light of their Test careers. Watson will be 34 years old by the time the next Ashes begins and has been more injury-prone than any Australian Test player in recent history.
He wants to bat number three and should be left there for the remainder of this series. If he succeeds, he stays. If he falters, Burns should be moved up to number three and given an extended run.
Unlike some of the players to have debuted for Australia since the end of its golden era, Burns has earned his chance.
A fluent and versatile batsmen, he has notched first-class centuries in every position in the batting order from one to five.
Crucially, he is 25-years-old. If he thrives, Burns could form the nucleus of Australia’s next generation along with Steve Smith, David Warner, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh and prodigiously-talented young quicks like James Pattinson, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc.
Australia have delayed and delayed their badly-needed generational change. They started this series against India with a veteran-heavy side featuring seven players whose careers were all at serious risk of ending within 12 to 18 months.
For several years now, Australia have relied upon these older players to drive the team. But of their six best players in this series, four have been young players in Smith, Warner, Lyon and Hazlewood.
Of their older players, the standout has been Mitch Johnson – who is far fitter or stronger than any of his fellow veterans.
The selectors appear finally to have made the move towards rejuvenating Australia’s Test XI. This much was clear from the axing of Peter Siddle in favour of 23-year-old Hazlewood for the second Test and the selection of Burns ahead of experienced performers like Ed Cowan, Callum Ferguson and Adam Voges.
That trio of players represented safe options for the selectors. By choosing a batsman with more upside in Burns they have made a decision for the side’s future.
Watson must outperform Burns over the next fortnight or he should no longer play a part in Australia’s cricketing future.