Join now and get your first month for just $1 ><\/a><\/p>\n‘Will see him in the Baggy Green one day | 20:12<\/p>\n
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WHY GREEN\u2019S SHIELD TARGET IS CRUCIAL<\/p>\n
Chief of selectors George Bailey has confirmed the fitness of all-rounder Cameron Green will help determine the balance of Australia\u2019s starting XI for the first Ashes Test at Perth Stadium.<\/p>\n
Since returning from back surgery earlier this year, the West Australian has only bowled four overs in professional cricket, playing as a specialist batter during last week\u2019s Sheffield Shield clash against South Australia at the WACA due to a side complaint. However, the 26-year-old is expected to return to bowling for Western Australia\u2019s upcoming Sheffield Shield match against Queensland in Perth next Monday.<\/p>\n
If Green was not available as a fully-fledged all-rounder for the series opener against England, it would open the door for opener Jake Weatherald to potentially make his Test debut and Beau Webster to retain his spot at No. 6, with the Tasmanian providing back-up for Australia\u2019s pace attack.<\/p>\n
Speaking to reporters on the Gold Coast on Wednesday morning, chief selector George Bailey declared that Green was aiming to bowl 15-20 overs in the Sheffield Shield this week to prove his fitness.<\/p>\n
\u201cI imagine he\u2019ll hit that, and that\u2019s pretty close to what you need from your all-rounder,\u201d Bailey said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen obviously we\u2019re still three weeks away from that first Test, so he can continue to build on that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bailey also flagged that Green could still potentially play as a specialist batter if required, adding there\u2019s \u201cno reason why\u201d he and fellow all-rounder Webster couldn\u2019t be in the same starting XI.<\/p>\n
Speaking to reporters at the SCG earlier on Wednesday morning, former Australian captain Steve Waugh expressed concern about Green\u2019s fitness and workloads ahead of the marquee series.<\/p>\n
\u201cI assume he won\u2019t be bowling much,\u201d Waugh said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t just go from not bowling at all and expect to bowl 10 or 15 overs in a Test match, that\u2019s going to be tough.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think he can bowl 10 or 15 overs at this stage.\u201d<\/p>\n
Waugh takes swipe at Bailey | 10:16<\/p>\n
Waugh added that Green was \u201cdefinitely\u201d good enough to play as a specialist batter, but cautioned against the right-hander slotting in at No. 3.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think down the order is probably right for him at the moment. I think he goes at the ball a little bit too hard (to bat in) the top three,\u201d Waugh continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut he\u2019s a quality player. He\u2019s potentially been our best all-rounder for a long, long time.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s good enough to score runs. He\u2019s scored Test match hundreds.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s played enough Test matches now to be comfortable in that environment. I think he can do well.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added: \u201c(Green\u2019s) a quality bowler too. He\u2019s a much better bowler than I was. He\u2019s definitely got the potential to be a genuine all-rounder, which we haven\u2019t had probably since Alan Davidson or Keith Miller.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s got that in him if he gets his body right.\u201d<\/p>\n
NEW GUINEA PIG IN AUSSIE MERRY-GO-ROUND<\/p>\n
The game of musical chairs continues.<\/p>\n
Australia has cycled through an assortment of Test openers since David Warner\u2019s retirement at the start of last year, with teenager Sam Konstas, middle-order specialists Steve Smith and Nathan McSweeney each getting a brief stint at the top of the order.<\/p>\n
However, none of them lasted more than a handful of matches in the role \u2014 Smith dropped back down the order after five Tests, McSweeney was axed after three attempts against India, while Konstas slipped in and out of the side following his unforgettable debut at the MCG.<\/p>\n
Marnus: Australia axeing “had to happen” | 01:45<\/p>\n
The latest guinea pig will be either the uncapped Jake Weatherald, or the in-form Marnus Labuschagne; one of which will be tasked with taming Jofra Archer and Mark Wood in the Ashes furnace, surviving the new ball, and building a platform Australia\u2019s star-studded middle order.<\/p>\n
However, it remains to be seen whether the chosen opener will be assured all five Tests to prove their worth at the top of order, or if the national selectors once again chop and change throughout the series.<\/p>\n
The answer might pend on results. Australia is unlikely to tinker with the starting XI too much if the hosts take an early lead in the series, but Bailey could be pressured to swing the axe if England steals an early victory.<\/p>\n
Asked about the prospect of Labuschagne opening in the Ashes, Bailey replied: \u201cIf required, I think he can do it.\u201d<\/p>\n
UNCAPPED DUO IN AUSSIE PACE CARTEL<\/p>\n
Brendan Doggett and Sean Abbott have been named as the reserve quicks in Australia\u2019s Ashes squad for the first Test, but that doesn\u2019t assure either of them a baggy green.<\/p>\n
Australian captain Pat Cummins has already been ruled out of the series opener against England at Perth Stadium, while there\u2019s a decent chance he won\u2019t be available for the second Test at the Gabba, which commences on December 4.<\/p>\n
Bailey confirmed there was no clear timeline on Cummins\u2019 return<\/p>\n
\u201cHe bowled yesterday, he\u2019ll bowl again today,\u201d Bailey said.<\/p>\n
The ever-reliable Scott Boland is expected to replace Cummins in the starting XI for the Perth Test, forming a trio alongside superstars Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood.<\/p>\n
But should a change be needed due to injury or workload management, it would open the door for either Doggett or Abbott makes their Test debut during the blockbuster series.<\/p>\n
However, there are lengthy gaps between the first three Tests in Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide, giving Boland, Starc and Hazlewood additional time to recover between matches.<\/p>\n
Elsewhere, Australian decks have recently favoured seam bowlers, resulting in multiple four-day \u2014 or even three-day \u2014 Test matches; if that trend continues this summer, there will be even less need for bowler rotation.<\/p>\n
Doggett insists he’ll be ready for Ashes | 01:06<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, if national selectors pursue a horses-for-courses selection policy, swing maestros Michael Neser and Fergus O\u2019Neill may come into consideration for the day-night Test at the Gabba courtesy of their potential threat with the pink Kookaburra. Bailey confirmed conditions will influence selection throughout the Ashes.<\/p>\n
Pending their recovery, Cummins and Jhye Richardson could also be parachuted into the Test squad during the second half of the series.<\/p>\n
Hazlewood has rarely remained fit for an entire five-Test summer, while Boland has recently suffered foot and ankle setbacks.<\/p>\n
But even if Doggett and Abbott don\u2019t make their Test debut this summer, bowler rotation looms as a necessity ahead of Australia\u2019s packed 2026\/27 schedule, headlined by a Test tour of South Africa, a home series against New Zealand, a Border-Gavaskar Trophy campaign in India and an Ashes tour of the United Kingdom. <\/p>\n
If they remain patient, the opportunities will come.<\/p>\n
\u2018NOT FULLY CONFIDENT\u2019: NEXT STEPS FOR KONSTAS<\/p>\n
Sam Konstas\u2019 Test axing hardly came as a surprise.<\/p>\n
While he was the incumbent Test opener, the 20-year-old\u2019s disappointing Frank Worrell Trophy campaign against the West Indies and underwhelming Sheffield Shield form made it difficult to justify his selection.<\/p>\n
In fact, the wunderkind managed just 50 runs from his six innings in the Caribbean \u2014 leaving his spot in the side well and truly vulnerable.<\/p>\n
He started his summer with a century during the Australia A series in India, but national selectors emphasised the subcontinent tour would have no bearing on Ashes selection considering the differing conditions.<\/p>\n
Having lost his spot in the Test side, Konstas now has the opportunity to focus on Sheffield Shield cricket and get some runs under his belt.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel for Sammy,\u201d Bailey told reporters.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the moment, if he farts, it\u2019s a headline.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a handful of young guys his age playing Shield cricket around the country, and they\u2019re all learning, they\u2019re all going through a journey of becoming the best cricketer they can be, and Sammy\u2019s no different at that.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe just happens to be doing it under what seems to be immense scrutiny at the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Konstas falls ‘agonisingly’ short of 50 | 00:41<\/p>\n
Marnus Labuschagne, Usman Khawaja and Steve Smith have each offered their two cents on Konstas over the last fortnight, while former Australian captain Steve Waugh also expressed his thoughts on the Blues youngster.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel a little bit sorry for Sam Konstas, who\u2019s been in and out of the side a bit,\u201d Waugh said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt actually reminds me of myself when I first started playing for Australia. Not fully confident of being in the side and form a bit not quite there. He\u2019s probably lacking a bit of confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n
He continued: \u201cAt the end of the day, it\u2019s really hard to learn how to play Test cricket while you\u2019re playing Test cricket.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what happened to me for a couple of years. I wasn\u2019t really that finished product.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d go back to Shield cricket, try and build some long innings, bat for as long as you can, and just get to know your game really well, and then you walk out to play for Australia confident in what you\u2019re doing.<\/p>\n
\u201cRight now he\u2019s probably guessing how he should play.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of expectations, so he\u2019s probably not playing with a clear mind.\u201d<\/p>\n
PRESSURE AS KHAWAJA\u2019S 39TH BIRTHDAY LOOMS<\/p>\n
Usman Khawaja will open the batting at Perth Stadium, but if the veteran struggles against England this summer, the national selectors may be forced to make a brutal call.<\/p>\n
The Queenslander, who celebrates his 39th birthday in December, was a revelation when he returned to the Test side in 2022, cracking seven hundreds across an 18-month period.<\/p>\n
Khawaja has made three starts from his four first-class innings this spring, including an 87 against New South Wales in his most recent hitout to suggest he is in solid form ahead of November 21 in Perth.<\/p>\n
However, the left-hander has been far from his best since the completion of the 2023 Ashes, averaging 32.78 with one century across 18 matches. Not including his marathon double-century against Sri Lanka in Galle, that average slips to 26.35.<\/p>\n
Although there aren\u2019t many openers currently banging down the door for a Test call-up, Sam Konstas and Campbell Kellaway headline an exciting crop of youngsters in the next generation of Australian cricket superstars.<\/p>\n
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Waugh called on the national selectors to make some \u201ctough calls\u201d as the Test side approaches a period of transition, warning it will be necessary as Australia enters a new era.<\/p>\n
\u201cGeorge Bailey\u2019s going to have to make some tough calls. I think in the past, he\u2019s shown that he hasn\u2019t really had the appetite for that at times,\u201d Waugh said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s going to have to step up to the plate with the other selectors because it is a time of transition.<\/p>\n
He continued: \u201cYou just want to make sure that three or four players don\u2019t go out at the same time.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat leaves a big hole in the team. So, they\u2019ve got to just make sure that it is a transition, but not all at once.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Tasmanian opener Jake Weatherald has earned his maiden Test call-up, named in Australia\u2019s squad for the first Ashes…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":265150,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[564],"tags":[64,63,740,85],"class_list":["post-265149","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cricket","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-cricket","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/265149","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=265149"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/265149\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/265150"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=265149"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=265149"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=265149"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}