Test hopeful Marcus Harris has likened the current wait for a spot in the Australia side to the glory era of the early 2000s, after acing his final audition for David Warner’s soon-to-be-vacated role at the top of the order.
Pat Cummins’ world champion side heads into the Boxing Day Test with bench depth rarely seen for an Australia team since the late great Shane Warne hung up his floppy hat 17 years ago when Ricky Ponting, Matthew Hayden and co dominated attacks around the globe.
Pitch inspection: Quizzical Australians at the MCG.Credit: Getty Images
As Pakistan dealt with another injury setback, losing spinner Noman Ali for the rest of the series with appendicitis, the hosts have the luxury of leaving out proven Test performers Scott Boland and Cameron Green from their starting XI.
Fresh from close to a week off since their crushing win in Perth, the Australians had their first look at the MCG track, still sporting healthy hues of green albeit three days out from the game, on Saturday before taking part in an optional session.
Across the other side of the Yarra River at the Junction Oval, Harris enhanced his Test claims by crunching an unbeaten 126 off 131 balls for a Victoria XI against the touring Pakistanis, in a timely reminder of his credentials to selectors, who will in a fortnight’s time make the call on who will assume Warner’s spot at the top of the order.
The two teams had agreed to play an 80 overs a side game but it was shortened by Victoria’s early declaration and the early wickets of two batters Pakistan had wanted to spend time in the middle.
Harris has not worn the baggy green since the Sydney Test at the start of last year but has been a regular in the squad as the back-up opener at home and abroad, most recently during the Ashes.
After Warner’s big century in Perth, it is now one of those rare moments when no spot is up for grabs in Australia’s top six.
“You always see through generations when a team goes through a successful period there’s not too many changes,” Harris told this masthead on Saturday.
“I remember growing up in the early 2000s you could almost name the same XI every game. It’s going through one of those phases now where we’re in a strong phase. We’ve got a lot of guys at a similar age – but people get older, in the next six or seven years that might change a lot.
“People are performing well. It probably goes back to the environment we’re in. People feel like they belong so they perform consistently.”
Pakistan would dearly love to have the quality of Australia’s reserves in their camp.
Cult figure and local hero Boland is facing the prospect of spending the entire Test summer mixing cordial, aware his only hope of getting a run is through an injury to one of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc or Josh Hazlewood.
The chances of any of the incumbent trio needing a rest are slim given Pakistan’s frailties with the bat in Australian conditions and the lack of quality in the West Indies’ line-up.
Boland’s record of 35 wickets at 20 shows his dreamy 6-7 on debut against England two years ago was no fluke.
Green is another who will be running out the drinks next week, a year after breaking through for his maiden five-wicket haul at Test level against South Africa.
Considered a generational talent, all-rounder Green is being kept out of the side by the resurgent Mitch Marsh, who is averaging 67 since his recall to the Test side during the Ashes.
With a first-class average of nearly 47, Green has strong claims to be one of the six best batters in the country but the only impending vacancy is in the highly specialised – and for him unfamiliar – job of opening.
“It’s a nice problem to have for Australia,” wicketkeeper Alex Carey said. “That spot at No.6, there’s some heavy competition there.
“Mitch Marsh has been amazing with his opportunities of late. Cameron Green is also ready to go and he’s still so young. His attitude away from the game is something we love around the group. There’s still so much we can look forward to with Cameron.”
The competition for spots in a long way removed from the environment Usman Khawaja started his Test career in during the 2010/11 Ashes when his 37 on debut received disproportionately high acclaim among a local fanbase demoralised by the national team’s poor performance.
“The selectors are there and they have a tough choice, which is a great thing. I’ve been involved in Australian cricket where the choices have been tough for the opposite reasons, you’re kind of feeling ‘where are we going to find a player to replace him’,” Khawaja said earlier this month.
“I was there when all the greats retired and then I was coming in and apparently Australian cricket was dead – no-one could find the next player. So we’re in a good spot.”
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