David Warner’s opener partner: A Test opening batter is among the two positions which Australia need to zero in on for Ashes 2021-22.
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The prestigious Ashes 2021-22 is less than a month away from us now. The biggest Test series in cricket, this year’s Ashes will also witness Australia returning to Test cricket after almost 11 months.
As was the case during their last Test series against India, Australia continue to find a couple of suitable batters for the opening and No. 5 role in their Test XI.
In the last Test that they played at the Gabba, Australia had Marcus Harris and Matthew Wade batting at the aforementioned positions respectively. Speaking in an interview with RSN, former Australia captain and current chairman of selectors George Bailey revealed that the selectors have build more clarity around the No. 5 position despite not zeroing in on a candidate.
George Bailey confirms David Warner’s opener partner for Ashes 2021-22
As far as David Warner’s opening partner is concerned, Bailey has all but confirmed Harris as the preferred candidate to resume from where he’d left off earlier this year.
“Harry’s [Marcus Harris] had limited opportunities in the past, and he’s been in and out a bit, so we’d love nothing more than for him hopefully to get an opportunity to get an extended run at it,” Bailey was quoted as saying by RSN.
“What we have liked is his consistency. He’s obviously been a prolific run scorer at domestic level here, but we also love the fact he went overseas and had a great year for Leicester as well.”
Yet to find supreme form, Harris has scored 147 runs including a century in four Sheffield Shield innings of the ongoing season. However, as highlighted by Bailey, the 29-year old batter had been among the runs in the recently concluded County Championship 2021 scoring 655 runs at an average of 54.58 with the help of three centuries and a half-century.
Batter Usman Khawaja, the last of whose 44 Tests had come during Ashes 2019 in England, had been doing the rounds for the opener’s role on the back of scoring 396 runs in five Sheffield Shield innings at an average of 79.20 and including two centuries and a half-century in the ongoing season.
Usman Khawaja had already shown that he’s back to his century-scoring best. Today’s knock at the Gabba is a sign that he’s also in the best form to withstand one of those potential Stuart Broad magical #Ashes spells, even if there haven’t been many on Aussie soil #SheffieldShield
— Bharat Sundaresan (@beastieboy07) November 10, 2021
With Khawaja open to bat anywhere in the Australian XI, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he gets the nod at No. 5 in the first Ashes Test scheduled to begin from December 8 in Brisbane. Readers must note that 73 out of Khawaja’s 76 Test innings so far have come in the top-order. While he has never batted at No. 5 in Test matches, he has batted at No. 4 and 6 once and twice respectively.
