Victorian coach and former Australian opener Chris Rogers has thrown his support behind Ashes hopeful Marcus Harris, declaring the 30-year-old is “as ready as he’s ever going to be” for another shot at Test cricket.
Harris has emerged as a candidate to open the batting for Australia in the upcoming Ashes series following a prolific 12 months in red-ball cricket.
The left-hander, who made his most recent Test appearance in January last year, partnered David Warner at the top of the order for three matches during the 2019 Ashes, averaging 9.66 with the bat.
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Since then, Harris has been a relentlessly consistent performer in the County Championship with 1588 runs at 51.22 for Leicestershire and Gloucestershire. Last weekend, he scored 59 and 148 during Gloucestershire’s draw against Glamorgan, further pushing his case for a Test recall.
Despite missing selection for the recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy in India, Harris was included in Cricket Australia’s contract list for 2023/24, suggesting he remains in the frame for Ashes selection.
Warner and Usman Khawaja, who are both approaching the twilight of their international careers, are expected to open the batting in England this winter, but Harris is bashing down the door for a spot in Australia’s extended Test squad.
Speaking to RSN927 this week, the Victorian confessed he wasn’t expecting to be included in CA’s annual contract list, but understood the accolade didn’t guarantee selection.
“It was a nice thing to get but it doesn‘t guarantee anything going forward,” Harris said on Tuesday.
“Three years ago when I came over here to play for Leicester my goal was aiming towards the Ashes this year but also just to get some cricket under my belt in the UK.
“Last time I came over to the Ashes in 2019 I‘d never played over here at a professional level and it was probably a bit of a shock to the system.
“So if I‘m fortunate enough to get picked in the series this year, at least in the squad, I’ll have three seasons of county cricket under my belt to help myself be best prepared.”
Harris has represented Australia 14 times since his Test debut in 2018, scoring 607 runs at 25.29 with three fifties. He currently has the lowest batting average among Australian Test openers since 1900 (minimum 25 innings).
Despite his previous struggles in Australian whites, Rogers declared that Harris will be “much better placed” for Test cricket when he gets another opportunity.
“Certainly with Marcus, you‘ve got a battle-hardened guy who’s gone through those tough moments in Test cricket and come out the back end,” Rogers, who has coached Harris and the Victorian men’s team since 2020, told SEN this week.
“So you‘d like to think that when he gets back in, he’s going to have a bit more success.
“From our point of view, the runs he got this year were a lot of times in really challenging conditions and in first innings as well when the bowlers really had the upper hand.
“That was the thing that stood out, that‘s not always easy to do. He really led from the front in a lot of games that we played and set us up, so I think he’s much better placed, he’s a much more mature man now as well when it comes to these opportunities so I’d love to see him get another opportunity.
“He knows there‘s going to be some unbelievable challenges if that comes, particularly from bowlers who will come around the wicket and try and swing the ball away from him.
“So he‘s got his work cut out but he’s been working hard at that as well.”
The highly-anticipated Ashes series gets underway in June, with Australia expected to announce its squad next week.
