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Bancroft's return adds to Ashes puzzle

22nd December, 2018
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22nd December, 2018
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Just four Tests before the Ashes begin, Australia face a logjam at the top of the order, with six players in contention to open the batting in England.

Cameron Bancroft’s ball-tampering ban ends next Sunday, while his former Test opening partner and confessed co-conspirator David Warner will resume playing in late March.

Meanwhile, current opening pair Marcus Harris and Aaron Finch have made solid starts to their Test careers, and former Test openers Joe Burns and Matt Renshaw are appealing Ashes options.

Good luck wading through that jumble to predict Australia’s opening pair for the first Ashes Test, starting on August 1.

Warner is the standout among that group. Now that England’s all-time leading Test runscorer Alastair Cook has retired, Warner is the world’s most accomplished opener.

Not only does the left hander average 49 across his 18 Ashes matches, he was also Australia’s most consistent batsman on their last tour of England.

In 2015, Warner made 418 runs at 46 in a series where only one England batsman (Joe Root) scored more than 330. He churned out five half-centuries from nine innings in a sign he was learning to adapt to English conditions.

Crucially, he also adds variety and fear factor. Warner had a scorching strike rate of 74 during the last Ashes in England and Australia badly miss his ability to turn pressure back on to opening bowlers from the start of an innings. That in turn reduces the stress on his batting partner.

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On cricketing ability alone, Warner is an automatic pick. Yet it remains to be seen whether he will be welcomed back into the setup, considering news reports that a deep rift had developed between Warner and his national teammates in the wake of the ball tampering scandal.

David Warner

David Warner leaves the field. (Photo by Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images/Getty Images)

There seems, at least from the perspective of an outsider, to be far less ill will towards Bancroft. Perhaps that is due to the popular perception he was a rookie cricketer going along with the ill-conceived plan of a star veteran in Warner.

Unlike Warner, who might not get to play a first-class match until July when Australia’s tour of England starts, Bancroft will have the second half of the Shield season to push his case.

The West Australian had a shocking debut series in the Ashes last summer, averaging just 25 on some flat home pitches. But he showed great improvement in the following series in South Africa.

Bancroft was Australia’s leading scorer across the first three Tests, with 223 runs at 37.

While that looks like an average return at first glance, it was an impressive effort given the quality of the Proteas’ attack.

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Bancroft also has generous experience in English conditions, having played 16 first-class matches in county cricket across the 2016 and 2017 seasons. He returned only modest figures for Goucestershire in that time, with 877 runs at 34.

Of course, the selectors may feel that having significant experience against the Dukes ball in England is better than having none at all.

Harris, for example, has never played a first-class match outside of Australia. The 26-year-old has, however, looked undaunted at Test level thus far against a quality Indian attack.

He has made a start in each of his four Test innings, scoring 26, 26, 70 and 20. That sole half-century played a huge part in Australia levelling the series at Perth.

To date he has displayed a tight defence, neat footwork, and a fine range of strokes. Quite simply, he has looked the part, even if he hasn’t dominated just yet.

Marcus Harris

Marcus Harris of Australia. (AAP Image/Richard Wainwright)

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While it’s an admittedly small sample size, Harris seems like a good Test prospect. Certainly he has been much more fluent than Bancroft was at the start of his career.

Harris’ partner, Finch, has copped heavy criticism so far this series.

The 32-year-old has looked well below his best, perhaps because of the challenge of trying to adapt to being a three-format player, as I discussed recently.

It shouldn’t be forgotten, though, just how important he was in Australia’s series against Pakistan in the UAE in October.

Against a strong attack, including the world’s in-form pace bowler Mohammad Abbas, Finch made scores of 62, 49, 39 and 31, consistently shielding his colleagues from the new ball.

Plus his 112-run opening stand with Harris at Perth was monumentally important in the context of this current series.

Finch has been far from a flop to date in his brief Test career. Certainly, he will have to improve his output over the final two matches against India to retain his spot for the following two-Test home series against Sri Lanka.

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But if he is solid across those next four Tests, the selectors will be tempted to stick with him due to his experience and success in county cricket.

Finch has made 823 runs at 43 in his county stints. The fact he’s played down the order in those matches won’t bother the selectors, who think he is best positioned as an opener regardless.

While Finch’s 2018 county efforts were limited to just three innings and 77 runs, Renshaw ran amok for Somerset in his first season in England.

The 22-year-old faced a tough challenge playing in Division One, coming at the start of the season when English pitches are at their greenest.

Renshaw was a revelation, cracking three tons in his first four matches. Importantly, in his 11-Test career he has showcased the kind of patience which is key to success as an opener in England. If Renshaw can rediscover some good form in the second half of the Shield season he would be the best option to partner Warner.

Then again, there is an argument to be made that Burns is the second-best first-class opener in the country. Only Warner has a better Test record than Burns – 919 runs at 37, with three tons – and the Queenslander has also piled up 1197 runs at 52 across the past two Shield seasons.

Similar to Bancroft and Finch, Burns has had an encouraging amount of exposure to English conditions, having played 15 first-class matches in the UK.

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He has only averaged 32 across those matches. In Burns’ defence, his least season in England was three years ago and he has undoubtedly become a better red-ball batsman since then.

To make the battle even more dense and confusing, there is a slim possibility all six of these openers could play in Australia’s final tour match before the first Ashes Test.

Australian batsmen David Warner (right) and Cameron Bancroft walk from the field after Australia won on Day 5 of the First Test match between Australia and England at the Gabba in Brisbane, Monday, November 27, 2017.

Cameron Bancroft and David Warner walk off after victory. (AAP Image/Dave Hunt)

Cricket Australia recently announced this fixture would be between Australia and Australia A, most likely at Hampshire’s Rose Bowl.

While that first Test is still more than seven months away, it is closer than it seems. With just four matches between now and then, there is a huge amount at stake for the Aussie batsmen jostling to open in England.

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