Australia’s first Test series this summer will be against a challenging Pakistan side.
Although Pakistan have had most of their recent success in the shorter formats of the game, they are still a force to be reckoned with on the Test stage as well. This match-up will only contain two Tests and will be played at the Gabba and the Adelaide Oval.
Most of the talk coming from Australia’s successful Ashes campaign has been based around our two opening batsman. But the dilemma is not that we don’t have enough, but more that Australia has too many to choose from.
The main options are Marcus Harris, David Warner, Joe Burns, Cam Bancroft, Nic Maddinson and Aaron Finch.
However, other than these players, there’s still two more who have opened many a Test for Australia and who could do us proud against Pakistan: Usman Khawaja and Matt Renshaw.
Khawaja is an experienced Australian batsman, having played 44 Tests. Although the majority of those matches have been played batting at No.3, Khawaja has played seven innings as an opener. From those seven innings, Khawaja has an outstanding batting average of 96.80. He also has a batting average of 70.86 against Pakistan having played against them on four occasions.
Although Khawaja has a Test batting average of 40.7, he played 11 Tests in 2019 at a batting average of 29.4 and in first-class cricket, he’s coming off a Sheffield Shield match for Queensland against New South Wales where he scored 1 and 24.
However, back in August of this year, captaining the touring Australian team against Derbyshire, Khawaja scored a classy 72 and guided his side to win by an innings and 54 runs.
As a whole, Khawaja has had a rocky 2019 but, his amazing opening batting statistics and his batting averages against Pakistan cannot be ignored when it comes to selection.
(Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
Meanwhile, Renshaw in recent years has had a love-hate relationship with Test cricket. Renshaw made his Test debut against South Africa in November 2016 then continued to play all of Australia’s next nine Tests against the likes of Pakistan, India and Bangladesh.
However, he averaged just 19.00 for the Bangladesh series. This caused Renshaw to get dropped from the Australian Test side until March 2018 against South Africa, when he came into the squad to replace the banned David Warner. Renshaw averages 33.61 from ten Tests, but enjoys facing Pakistan, averaging 67.75.
Renshaw’s recent form hasn’t been incredible though, averaging 19.14 in his last 14 first-class innings for Queensland and Kent.
Usman Khawaja and Matt Renshaw both have astonishing statistics against Pakistan and as Test openers, but selection to be one of Australia’s openers for the upcoming series looks doubtful based on recent form.
DingoGray
Roar Guru
I love Renshaw, and when should of been dropped when he was....... However... He has done absolutely nothing to deserve elevation to the Test Side. Joe Burns on the other hand, has always been consistent in all forms of Cricket. Very rarely is he really out of form. For me him or Khawaja should open with Warner 1st Test.
John
Guest
No Burns and Warner should open
Adam Bagnall
Roar Guru
I like Renshaw and feel he was hard done by. Scoring big on an albeit lifeless wicket will give him plenty of confidence. Khawaja maybe?
Dillon
Roar Rookie
My team for the First Test vs Pakistan 1. Joe Burns/Usman Khawaja (Either one will be better than Harris and Bancroft) 2. David Warner (can't drop him for a home test series) 3. Marnus Labuschagne 4. Steve Smith 5. Travis Head (should be recalled, don't need a batting all-rounder) 6. Matthew Wade 7. Tim Paine (c) (wk) 8. Pat Cummins 9. Mitchell Starc (maybe James Pattinson, if Starc doesn't regain his form) 10. Nathan Lyon 11. Josh Hazlewood
Insult_2_Injury
Roar Rookie
Excellent, it provoked discussion, job done.
Rob
Guest
Yes. Can’t be any worse than Warner, Harris and Bancroft were last series. Bancroft is averaging 26 runs and 57 balls from 18 Test innings. Harris averages 24 runs and 43 balls from 17 Test innings. Khawaja averages 40 runs and 74 balls from 77 Test innings but what is even more frightening is his Test average when opening the bat is 96.80 from 7 innings. That’s a no brainer about where he should be batting. When looking at Renshaw’s average of 33 runs and 74 balls from 20 Test Innings he is light years ahead of Bancroft and Harris. Warner appears to be owed another home series but the fact is in the last 3 years over 38 Test innings his averaged 37 and I’m guessing the balls faced would be less than 60 during that period. Warner’s game is now appearing to be in decline and after the last Ashes series it might be time the blokes who have potential are given a shot.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
Why this desire to give Ussie another game? There are so many better alternatives.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
You mustn't be aware that the first round of Shield games have happened. He scored twice as much as the next highest scorer in his game. Maybe, however, you might have only read about the duck but not the century. Follow the game, anon.
Nick
Roar Guru
If he's clever...he sits out three years and plays for England in the 2022 Ashes.
AREH
Roar Guru
Unless Renshaw produces mass runs in the next two rounds, and Harris, Burns and even Khawaja utterly fail, he won't be anywhere near the conversation.
U
Roar Rookie
I’d give Warner the first couple of tests to prove he can get a score again. If he fails, that’s it for him. His style was always going to age badly as he got into his 30s.
Waggers
Roar Rookie
Still a few Shield games to go before the first test, but at this stage Warner and Harris would be in the front running. This is on the basis of being the incumbents, and both scoring centuries in the first round of fixtures. Burns, Renshaw and Bancroft have a lot to do to warrant consideration. Finch not opening for Victoria doesn't help his case. Maddinson's double century opening for Victoria made a statement, albeit on a flat track and needs to be backed up.
Jeff
Roar Rookie
Yes, I know. I'm not sure why I'm getting these replies.
Alex Hudson
Roar Guru
The article is about why and why not Usman Khawaja and Matt Renshaw should open for Australia in the upcoming test series against Pakistan
Alex Hudson
Roar Guru
Thank you :stoked: I just tried to tie the last paragraph with the heading to make the entire article link together more smoothly.
Jero
Roar Rookie
The redundant question in the heading is merely a hook in, and a signpost of the redundant discussion that follows. The second half of the final sentence, after the comma, provides the correct answer. No.
Jeff
Roar Rookie
I have read it. Isn't that what the article is about?
anon
Roar Pro
Time to move on from Warner. He's not the player he was. The year out hurt him massively. Let him play at Shield level until he recaptures that old form. Surely Joe Burns gets a run as opener given he was so dominant in the last Test series on home soil and that no-one stepped up in the Ashes. Will Langer and the selectors own up to the blunder of not putting him in the 25 man squad for the Ashes. Some how I doubt it.
jameswm
Roar Guru
Except I doubt it's the author's heading.
jameswm
Roar Guru
I don't see how you can drop Wade after that Ashes tour. Having said that, I don't entirely disagree with this batting lineup. Khawaja or Burns to open with Warner.