Australia has taken a 1-0 lead in the Ashes, having thumped England by eight wickets in the series opener at Perth Stadium – but there are still multiple question marks scattered throughout the team’s starting XI.
The hosts are sweating on the fitness of at least three-choice players, while Travis Head’s stunning Perth century has given the national selectors plenty of food for thought. Elsewhere, the added element of the pink Kookaburra creates added intrigue to the make-up of Australia’s team.
England has never won a day-night Test on Australian soil, while the nation hasn’t tasted victory in the Queensland capital since 1986. It would take a monumental effort from Ben Stokes’ men to tie the series ahead of the Christmas Test in Adelaide.
The second Ashes Test between Australia and England gets underway at the Gabba on December 4.
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Should Travis Head remain as an opener? | 07:46
OPENERS
Having posted scores of 0 and 23 on Test debut in Perth, it would be incredibly harsh for Jake Weatherald to miss selection for the Gabba contest. The national selectors have identified the Tasmanian opener’s combative approach with the willow against the new ball, an attribute that could be valuable in the Queensland capital.
The most glaring concern revolves around the fitness and form of veteran opener Usman Khawaja, who didn’t face the new ball in either innings of the Ashes opener due to back spasms.
Team medics are in the process of deciphering whether the 38-year-old’s back injury is “more serious” than initially expected, according to Australian coach Andrew McDonald, who stopped short of guaranteeing the Queenslander’s selection for the pink-ball Test if available.
“It’s a long way out, a lot of information to gather between now and then,” McDonald told reporters on Monday.
“Hopefully Usman is fit and available for selection.”
Khawaja has averaged 13.88 across his last five Tests, while he only managed one century since July 2023. The left-hander may only get one match to prove himself before national selectors give him the dreaded tap on the shoulder and shift focus towards Bulls teammate Matthew Renshaw, who cracked his third Sheffield Shield century of the summer this week – in a pink-ball match at the Gabba no less.
The only way Khawaja can end speculation about his position in the team is with runs – that is, if he gets the opportunity in Brisbane. The opener has struggled against high-quality pace this year, while England speedster Jofra Archer has an exceptional record against left-handed batters, particularly from around the wicket, which caused Khawaja plenty of headaches during the recent West Indies tour of the Caribbean.
Young guns Campbell Kellaway and Sam Konstas would also come into calculations whenever the 85-Test veteran decides to hang up the boots, but neither of them is bashing the door down for selection at the moment.
McDonald won’t confirm either opener | 03:01
Khawaja’s back spasms opened the door for middle-order dynamo Travis Head to open the batting during the second innings of the Perth Test, which proved a masterstroke when he thrashed a 69-ball hundred to steer the hosts towards a 1-0 series lead.
The South Australian has been quietly campaigning for the opener gig since David Warner retired from Tests at the start of last year. His success in seaming conditions and experience against the new ball in the national white-ball team make him an ideal like-for-like replacement for Warner, but national selectors would understandably be reluctant to move him from the No. 5 position that has proven so fruitful.
However, moving Head to opener would resolve a two-year headache in the Test side while creating room for another middle-order player, of whom Australia has an abundance of options.
Although reinventing the swashbuckling left-hander as an opener would be tempting, McDonald flagged the possibility of using Head as a second-innings enforcer against the new ball for when the match situation called for it.
But between Khawaja or Head, there’s no debating who England would prefer to see at the top of the order.
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MIDDLE ORDER
Barring any further injury setbacks, Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith are all but locked in at their preferred positions at No. 3 and No. 4, while wicketkeeper Alex Carey and all-rounder Cameron Green are also certainties in Australia’s starting XI for the Gabba Test.
It’s the No. 5 and No. 6 spots that create the most intrigue in the middle order.
Head has occupied the No. 5 position for more than four years, producing several match-winning performances in challenging conditions. But his Perth heroics have understandably prompted speculation of a shake-up in the Test side.
Should Head earn a promotion, it would create a vacancy for all-rounder Beau Webster to return to the starting XI, having been unlucky to miss out for the series opener.
The Tasmanian enjoyed a superb start to his Test career after making his international debut against India in January – he top-scored in the New Year’s clash at the SCG, helping Australia win back the coveted Border-Gavaskar Trophy, before hitting a clutch half-century during June’s World Test Championship final against South Africa at Lord’s.
Through no fault of his own, Webster was dropped for the Perth Test to accommodate Cameron Green’s return to the No. 6 position, but having an additional bowling option could be valuable for the Australians in Brisbane.
The Ashes: Test 1, Day Two Highlights | 14:46
Elsewhere, reserve wicketkeeper Josh Inglissent a timely reminder to national selectors of his batting credentials, blasting a rapid century during the Cricket Australia XI match against the England Lions in Perth.
The 30-year-old raced towards triple figures in 92 deliveries at Lilac Hill on Monday, hitting 15 boundaries and two sixes to help the hosts chase the 232-run target in just 45 overs. He finished unbeaten on 125 from 107 balls as the Cricket Australia XI sealed a comfortable eight-wicket victory over the tourists.
Inglis, named in Australia’s squad for the Ashes series opener in Perth, cracked a century on Test debut against Sri Lanka in Galle earlier this year, while he has become a regular member of the national white-ball teams.
Meanwhile, Victorian veteran Peter Handscomb has been in stellar form in the Sheffield Shield with 403 runs at 40.30, but there currently isn’t room for him in the Test side.
FAST BOWLERS
Pink-ball weapon Mitchell Starc can be considered a lock for the Gabba Test. Having bowled less than 25 overs during last week’s opener in Perth, the 12-day break between Tests should give the tall left-armer plenty of recovery time before the second match against England.
The leading wicket-taker in the brief history of pink-ball Tests, Starc once again looms as a crucial figure in the Australian side, especially if the two other members of the ‘big three’ are unavailable for selection.
Captain Pat Cummins, who missed the Perth Test due to a lower back complaint, has shown promising signs in his recovery, training with his teammates in the West Australian capital last week.
The 32-year-old, who recently declared he was a “half-chance” of playing the second Test against England, also conducted a net session in Sydney on Tuesday, notably with a pink Kookaburra, perhaps a clue he’s on track for the Gabba Test.
“It looked like a player that was nearing the completion of his rehabilitation,” McDonald said of Cummins’ training in Perth.
“The intensity was there, the ball speed was there, so there are a lot of positives.”
However, having taken a 1-0 lead in the series, Australia might want to play it safe and wrap their skipper in cotton wool, preparing him to return for the third Test in Adelaide.
Cummins, arguably Australia’s greatest fast bowler since Glenn McGrath, has taken 43 wickets at 17.34 in pink-ball Tests, including career-best figures of 6-23 against Sri Lanka at the Gabba in 2019.
Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood. Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
If the New South Welshman returns to the starting XI, Perth debutant Brendan Doggett would most likely be the unlucky player to miss out.
The South Australian bowler bowled commendably on his international debut last week, taking five wickets during the first Test, each with bouncers. However, it won’t be enough to leapfrog Scott Boland in the pecking order.
The Victorian veteran boasts a Test bowling average of 16.96, the lowest in a century (minimum 2000 deliveries), while that figure drops to 13.16 in pink-ball contests. Although he was far from his best during the first innings in Perth, repeatedly overpitching with juicy half-volleys, he remains a massive threat with the pink Kookaburra.
However, national selectors may be tempted to pick Queensland veteran Michael Neser for the Gabba Test, potentially pushing Doggett out of the starting XI. The 35-year-old has a superb record at the Brisbane venue, which he has called home with the Bulls since 2010, while his skillset is perfectly suited for day-night Tests.
He’s also a decent batter, more than capable of contributing with the willow at No. 8 to lengthen Australia’s batting line-up.
Elsewhere, McDonald declared that he expected injured seamer Josh Hazlewoodto be available again at some stage during the Ashes, but reports suggest the Bendemeer Bullet won’t recover from his hamstring strain in time to play the Brisbane Test.
In a reassuring update, the 34-year-old was seen bowling at Silverwater’s Cricket Central on Tuesday, albeit with a red Kookaburra.
Uncapped swing maestros Xavier Bartlett and Fergus O’Neill would also come into consideration courtesy of their recent exploits at domestic level, but they’re unlikely to be added to Australia’s Test squad unless the hosts decide to unleash an all-pack attack in Brisbane … which could feasibly happen.
SPIN DILLEMMA
Australia’s seam-friendly pitches have, to an extent, made veteran spinner Nathan Lyon redundant over the last few summers, particularly in pink-ball Tests.
The 38-year-old, who is one wicket away from equalling Glenn McGrath’s career tally of 563 Test scalps, was hardly required during the series opener against England at Perth Stadium, bowling two wicketless overs as fast bowlers wreaked havoc on the bouncy deck. He was controversially dropped for Australia’s most recent day-night Test — July’s Frank Worrell Trophy series finale in Kingston – while he only produced one over during the team’s previous pink-ball Test, last summer’s victory over India at Adelaide Oval.
Meanwhile, England’s Bazball approach with the willow means not many Ashes Tests this summer are expected to reach the fifth day, when conditions best suit spinners.
Bowlers Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Starc and Brendan Doggett. Photo by Saeed KHAN / AFPSource: AFP
McDonald confessed the national selectors would discuss the possibility of sidelining Lyon for the Gabba Test and instead back an all-pace attack, which Australia hasn’t done on home soil since 2012.
“It’s not something that we like doing, it’s not the starting point for anything,” McDonald said of the prospect of dropping Lyon.
“Will we ask ourselves the question? Of course we will, we do every game.”
However, McDonald also acknowledged the crucial role Lyon played with the ball during Australia’s most recent day-night Test at the Gabba – the dramatic loss to the West Indies in January last year. In sapping conditions, the off-spinner produced 50 overs across both innings as Australia’s fast bowlers struggled with the heat and softened ball.
Lyon, who spent time off the field due to a damaged hip during last week’s Perth match, also boasts a superb record in pink-ball Tests with 43 scalps at 25.62 — only Starc has taken more wickets in day-night contests.
Head, who has averaged 25.12 with the ball in Tests across the last three years, and Webster are capable of bowling part-time spin if required, along with Webster.