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Changes could be looming at the top of the Australian batting order for the Ashes, after the under pressure Usman Khawaja, opener Matt Renshaw and potential bolter Joe Burns all failed to make it past 50 for Queensland on the opening day of the Sheffield Shield.
With the opening round being played under day-night conditions, the focus was expected to be on the battle for the all-rounder spot and wicket-keeper gig.
However, it was the early failures at the top of the order on a green top at the Gabba which is carrying some interest.
It’s worth noting the conditions at the Gabba weren’t easy for batting, with 13 wickets falling on a rain-shortened opening day between Queensland and Victoria for just 199 runs.
While Renshaw’s spot has been seen as, for the most part at least, secure alongside Australia’s vice-captain David Warner at the top of the order, he struggled for runs in Bangladesh.
Not making a half-century in four innings did nothing to help his chances of hanging onto a spot come November 23 at the Gabba, and being dismissed for just 17 by Scott Boland yesterday has hurt him even more.
While Renshaw is likely to still appear in the opening position, he needs runs leading into the biggest Test series in the world. The pressure on Renshaw over his next five Shield innings will only grow some more after Shaun Marsh made a half-century on the other side of the country.
Even taking into account the difference in conditions and the W.A.C.A, Marsh batted well alongside an all-rounder option in Hilton Cartwright, who also went past 50.
Marsh has had plenty of chances in the Test team previously, and most are of the verdict he should be anywhere but the top of the order when England come to town. If he were to turn in consistent performances over the first three rounds of the Shield against Renshaw’s ordinary form, the selectors may be forced into a change.
Joe Burns potential to replace Renshaw in the side though has been done no favours after he was caught for just three off the bowling of Chris Tremain.
Usman Khawaja meanwhile, the man likely to be batting at first drop only scored 40, being brought undone by spin. Given his status of scoring runs during the Australian summer, you’d expect to see him there against the old enemy, but there has been enough speculation in the media which suggests his spot is under pressure.
Spin is a constant issue for Khawaja, and while it’s not the strong point for England, particularly in Australian conditions, he would have been frustrated that he gave away a quality start in very testing conditions.
Anyway, enough about the top of the order. The real selection queries for the Australian side are that of the all-rounder and wicket-keeper.
As already mentioned, Hilton Cartwright has done his chances no harm after a quality 61. Batting against the pink ball is never easy and his 111-run stand with Marsh was high quality against a Tasmanian attack featuring former Test quick Jack Bird.
He hit ten boundaries in a patient knock, although his inability to rotate strike – and frankly the same could be said for Marsh – was a concern. Cartwright’s teammate Mitchell Marsh came in at No.4 for the Warriors and after sharing a short stand with Cartwright, he came up short, failing to capitalise on a handy start which saw him make 36 from 37 balls.
On the pace-friendly tracks in Australia, it’s expected the all-rounder will be a pace bowler, although if Glenn Maxwell’s form is good enough, it could allow the four-pronged pace assault of James Pattinson, Patrick Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood to go into battle.
Speaking of bowling options, and it’s worth noting Peter Siddle was the only Victorian bowler to not pick up a wicket. Scott Boland was dangerous though, taking 4 for 43.
If injuries strike the four already mentioned, he and Jackson Bird, who finished the day with two wickets could be among the names in the conversation for replacements.
Maxwell, who is the incumbent all-rounder after the Bangladesh series (where the need obviously was for more spin options) hasn’t had a chance to do much yet. With Queensland falling cheaply, he didn’t get a bowl but saw out a tough and tense 20-minute period to go to stumps with six runs on the board.
(AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
He will resume on Day 2 with Victoria in a hazardous position of 3 for 43 chasing 166, so it will be a great Test of his temperament in the middle throughout a high-pressure situation.
The other spot up for grabs is the wicket-keeper spot. Incumbent Matthew Wade spent the day in the field for the Tigers, and by all reports he did a decent job.
His keeping has improved in the last 12 months, and there was no better example of that than during the second Test against Bangladesh. His mistakes were at a minimum in very trying circumstances and given the question has always been over his keeping ability rather than batting, the pressure was on him.
The main rival to Wade, Peter Nevill won’t get his chance to shine until the New South Wales Blues begin their match at the Adelaide Oval against South Australia this afternoon.
For now though, Wade hasn’t done his Ashes selection chances too much harm, although today might bring about a thorough examination against the pink ball.
One man who has had even the slimmest of hopes dashed is Tim Paine, after he wasn’t selected for the Tigers with Wade’s move there during the off-season taking precedence for the selectors.
It’s difficult to locate any other bolters for the keeping job, so for now, we wait and see how Nevill performs against the Redbacks this afternoon.
The Sheffield Shield continues across the country today from 2pm (AEDT).