Having been all but confirmed by chairman of selectors George Bailey as David Warner’s opening partner in the first Ashes Test, a defining series looms for Marcus Harris.
Welcome back to Ashes Scout, where The Roar will take a closer look at all the news you need to know ahead of a blockbuster summer of cricket.
After 10 Tests, with an unflattering average of 23.77 and a highest score of 79, Harris is yet to set the world on fire for Australia.
The Ashes shapes as either the making of the gifted 29-year-old or a fatal missed chance.
Like Warner, Harris has struggled facing England pacer Stuart Broad, who claimed his wicket three times in six innings during the 2019 Ashes in the UK, trapping him LBW twice. Harris finished that campaign with a dire 58 runs at 9.66.
Broad, who famously terrorised Warner bowling around the wicket, won’t benefit from hooping swing-conducive conditions or the Dukes ball down under, but former Australian quick Damien Fleming is concerned about two left-handers opening the batting.
“I’d like a righthand batsman to partner Warner and blunt the effectiveness of Broad and [Ollie] Robinson to left handers, so ‘Harry’ may have to wait until Warner finishes to get back his spot,” Fleming wrote in his column for The Roar.
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But with Will Pucovski recovering from his latest concussion, Australia’s right-handed opening options are limited. Another leftie, veteran Usman Khawaja, is considered Harris’ main competition to combine with Warner in Brisbane.
“You are looking to pick our best players and back them in … The idea is to get some strategies in place against Stuart Broad around the wicket and work your way through it,” champion ex-Aussie batter Mike Hussey told Fox Cricket’s The Follow-On podcast this week.
“I personally would be going for the best players and then just trust it and get out there and win Australia the Ashes.”
Harris has produced fleeting periods of dominance at Test level, particularly in his maiden series against India in 2018-19 where the left-hander reached double-figures in seven of eight innings – including two fifties – but couldn’t convert his starts.
Bailey has seen enough to suggest Harris is close to putting it all together.
“It gives you great confidence as a selector when you know your opening batters are locked away as far as a Test series goes,” Bailey told RSN Radio on Thursday.
“It’s a hard spot to bat and to get those places settled, it’s really important.
“Harry’s only had a limited opportunity in the past, and he’s been in and out a bit, so we’d love nothing more than for him to hopefully get an opportunity to get an extended run at it.
“What we have liked is his consistency. He’s obviously been a prolific run-scorer at domestic level here, but also love the fact he went overseas and had a great year for Leicester as well.”
Harris’ decision to ply his trade in the UK during the winter – peeling off 655 runs, including three tons, at a tick under 55 for Leicester in the County Championship – has paid dividends.
(Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)
The opener continued his strong form for the Vics with 137 against NSW in late October, though he was dismissed for single figures by the Blues in his three other Sheffield Shield digs.
“I feel like I’ve got a good body of work under my belt over the last four or five years and going and playing in England, I had a good season over there, so I’m feeling good,” Harris said after his most recent hundred.
Khawaja’s case for Test reinstatement is hard to ignore – and could still earn him a middle-order berth – but Hussey remains in favour of retaining Harris to open at the Gabba.
“If the [first] Test started tomorrow, I think he is someone that has gone away, worked on his game, played really well in county cricket through the winter and improved,” Hussey said.
“I know he didn’t get anything in the Shield game against NSW at the MCG, but before that he got a Shield hundred as well. He’s the incumbent.
“He’s the guy that I’d go for at this stage.”
Stokes ‘on track’ for Brisbane Test
In scary news for Australia, England all-rounder Ben Stokes appears certain to suit up for the first Test having impressed in training on the Gold Coast.
The 30-year-old, who has been out of action since July due to a broken finger and mental ill-health, only returned to training a fortnight ago ahead of the match at the Gabba starting on December 8.
England captain Joe Root is enthused about his star charge’s progress.
“It looks like he’s on track and it’s really exciting,” Root told reporters after the first batch of the old enemy’s Test squad completed three days of hard lockdown in Queensland.
“It’s been remarkable to see how far he’s come. It looks very promising. Ben has been fully involved in training the last couple of days. We’ve seen him at training, having him back among things is always great.
“It’s really nice to have him back involved.
“It has been very light, we are just trying to acclimatise as best we can. He’s had a bat, a bowl, taken some catches, doing his fielding work slightly separately.
(Photo by Surjeet Yadav/Getty Images)
“It’s managing that excitement and making sure we don’t push him too hard so he’s ready, as best as he can be, for that first game.”
Root added that 35-year-old quick Stuart Broad is bowling in the nets and “getting those workloads back up” after tearing his calf in August.
Root speaks out on Yorkshire racism scandal
Elsewhere, Root posted a lengthy statement to social media addressing the racism scandal involving Yorkshire County Cricket Club, where he has played since coming through the academy as a youngster.
Root said he wanted cricket to be a sport that “feels equal and safe” and conceded the scandal, which arose after spinner Azeem Rafiq said he was subjected to racism and bullying while playing at Yorkshire, had “fractured our game and torn lives apart”.
The fallout from Rafiq’s revelations has included the recent resignation of Yorkshire CEO Mark Arthur. The club is also suspended from hosting international cricket.
“It’s my club and I care passionately about it,” Root said.
“I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting. There is no debate about racism, no one side or the other. It is simply intolerable.
Root added: “I want to see change and actions that will see Yorkshire County Cricket Club rise from this with a culture that harnesses a diverse environment with trust across all communities that support cricket in the county.”
Later, when fronting the media, Root said he couldn’t recall any incidents of racism at Yorkshire but “it is clear things have happened at the club and we have to make sure we eradicate it”.
Those comments seemingly prompted Rafiq, who is of Pakistani origin, to tweet: “Disappointed is not even the feeling. Incredibly hurt. But uncomfortable truths are hard to accept it seems.”
WA confident of fifth Test being staged in Perth
Tasmania have made a bid to host the fifth Ashes Test at Hobart’s Bellerive Oval due to Western Australia’s border closures.
While Tasmanian premier Peter Gutwein told parliament on Wednesday that he would write to Cricket Australia and make a formal case for the match to be relocated from Perth, the Western Australian government believes it will proceed at Optus Stadium on January 14.
According to a News Corp report, the Test venue could be locked in as early as next week following a new five-day quarantine proposal that would allow England and Australian players to train and play throughout that period.
Players wouldn’t be permitted to have any contact with fans, of course, and per reports in the West Australian paper, it could mean balls touched by the crowd – like when a six is hit – being replaced.
However, Western Australia Cricket officials reportedly said they had not discussed such a proposal.
In a statement published by News Corp, a Western Australian government spokesperson said they are “confident an Ashes Test can be played safely in Perth, based on our health advice and under our quarantine and testing protocols, just like the AFL grand final was”.
Gutwein, meanwhile, said Tasmania was ready to step in. Bellerive Oval was meant to host a Test against Afghanistan in late November, however it has been postponed indefinitely.
With Australian captain Tim Paine potentially retiring after this summer, Gutwein hopes the wicketkeeper will get the chance to play before a home crowd.
“It would be just fantastic to see Tim play at Bellerive as captain of Australia. We’ve been having ongoing discussions with Cricket Tasmania and the CEO of Cricket Australia,” Gutwein said.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
Huss is more on the money than Flem with the left hand/ right hand thing. Changing the strike from a lefty to a right is hardly going to put Jimmy Anderson and Co off their games. They're Test bowlers, not 4th grade suburban. I wonder if Flem wonders what happens if we pick Bancroft or Hunt (which we won't) because they want the variety, and Warner gets out. Labu joins the right hander and all the theory goes out the door.
Jeff
Roar Rookie
The health system is sill an industry reliant on attracting, employing and retaining people. At 3.9% unemployment it's being felt everywhere and with the current border restrictions all sectors are struggling, especially skilled professionals in health.
Marty
Roar Rookie
You’re joking right? Warner can’t go on forever and Harris might not see the series out. That means there’s a very good chance that within the next 12 months not one, but BOTH, opening spots will be up for grabs. There has never been a better time for prospective test openers in this country. So given the opportunity to show they can compete against the current test bowling attack they shouldn’t grab this amazing opportunity with both hands? Rather they should sit at home sulking on the couch because they won’t get picked for the very next game? Yeh that really sounds like the kind of person you want opening the batting in a test match. Maybe if they’re feeling a bit hard done by they should go have a chat with Matt Hayden. He would have given hits left aggot to have the kind of opportunities the current crop have had.
Backrower
Guest
It’s a public health system Jeff, not industry. There is no excuse but it seems McGowan can do no wrong in the eyes of many. It could not be more transparent that he is doing Albanese’s work federally. Our country is a mess - and that’s not a politic-partisan statement.
Marty
Roar Rookie
You mean like Warner’s form was coming into the World Cup?
Clear as mud
Guest
Small sample and not that long ago
Jeff
Roar Rookie
If they want to give Harris some pressure-relief by him knowing he’s playing, perhaps Bailey should have just said it to Harris privately, rather than telling the England camp who can now focus their bowling plans against.
Paul
Roar Guru
good question. I might throw some thoughts into an article and see what people think. Thanks for the inspiration. :happy:
Paul
Roar Guru
But how can you back guys in a team to get a job done when their form is at best questionable? A different issue if he'd come out and consistently batted well, but he hasn't. He knows it, his Test team mates know it,the media knows it, we know it but apparently Bailey doesn't
Marty
Roar Rookie
As much as you can you do, absolutely. People really like the idea of picking the shield batsman who’s had the best start to the year, because they’ve watched them rattling off runs for the last month or so, but the reality is that unless its a freakish talent like a Puc or Green then it often doesn’t work out. From what I can remember the last guy they tried that with was Bancroft and he’s longer in the team.
Clear as mud
Guest
So just pick the team now based on that logic?
Clear as mud
Guest
Well it will be if they are winning Explanation is more likely to be accurate than prediction. But prediction is easier to do.
Jeff
Roar Rookie
Perhaps Bailey could give some indication as to the strategy for managing the bowlers workload for the 5 Tests.
Marty
Roar Rookie
It leaves him in the exact place he is now, knowing he’s getting a game. The best recipe for Harris to make 4 scores under 5 is for him to be walking out to bat in a shield game worrying about whether getting out will cost him his spot in the test side. If I remember correctly the last opener to be selected based on performance at the start of the shield season was Bancroft, and that didn’t work out particularly well. Let’s also not forget that Warner couldn’t get a game for his IPL side but a month later is one of the main reasons we are playing in a WC final tomorrow night. Obviously Warner has a better record than Harris but the approach is the same – You back the guys in the team to get the job done.
Paul
Roar Guru
I understand what you're getting at but if Harris makes 4 scores under 5 in his next 4 innings and Khawaja or another opener makes 4 scores in excess of 70, where does that leave both Harris and Bailey? It places even more pressure on Harris, knowing he's going to play but equally knowing he's in ordinary form.
Marty
Roar Rookie
Maybe they would prefer him to be concentrating on preparing for the first test rather than worrying about whether he is getting a game or not? Seems a pretty sensible proposition to me.
Paul
Roar Guru
exactly. I know these guys are hugely competitive, but if I was an opener, I'd think twice before accepting a nomination to play in 3 day matches where I've got everything to lose and zero to gain. What happens if a Khawaja or another opener is injured in those matches because they're playing to give guys practice? If it was me I'd be mightily p****ed off.
Steele
Roar Rookie
Is J Richardson going to play the role of drinks carrier a la Patto and Neser this summer? No matter how many wickets he takes, the old line will be trotted out. It’s pretty hard to break into this team of NSW bowlers.
Steele
Roar Rookie
Head will most likely get in, I’d prefer to watch it play out and decide then. Uzzy, Maddinson, maybe even Wade or Renshaw may press for that position yet.
Mitcher
Guest
*not