Nathan McSweeney will open for Australia A in the second four-day match against India A at the MCG in the clearest indication yet that he is a strong contender for the vacant spot in the Test side.
McSweeney, the Australia A captain, has never debuted in first-class
cricket but will partner Marcus Harris in a move that confirms they are the two favorites for the Test spot, with Cameron Bancroft at No.3 and Sam , 19 years old. Konstas drops to 4th place.
“As noted before the series, the batting order was subject to adjustment throughout the two-match series,” said chairman of selectors George Bailey. “We will take the opportunity this week to gather our final information ahead of the announcement of the Test squad for the Border-Gavaskar Series after the Australia A match.”
Australia will name a 13-player squad for the first Test with two batting spots up for grabs as they will also take a reserve.
McSweeney was the standout batsman in the first match against India A in Mackay, leading the chase home with an unbeaten 88 having made 39 in the first innings batting at number 4.
“I’m very confident in my game. I’m progressing and I’m batting some of the best innings I’ve ever played,” McSweeney told reporters in Mackay after the match. “Hopefully I can continue to learn and improve. If the opportunity comes, I feel like I’m ready.”
“If not, I’ll keep working hard and hopefully one day I’ll get that call-up. “The only thing I can worry about is making sure my game is in good order. “I have to keep trying to make runs.”
Among the three specialist openers in the XI, Harris’s 36 in the second innings was the highest score they achieved.
McSweeney has also only batted at number 3 15 times in first-class
cricket and averages 30.86 at that spot with one first-class century. His best work has been done at number 4, where he averages 44.06, and at number 5, where he averages 57.20. This week will also be the second time McSweeney has played a first-class match at the MCG. His only previous appearance was when he played for Queensland in 2019 where he returned with scores of 0 and 16. He has played one BBL match there. McSweeney has also never played a first-class match at Perth Stadium or the SCG, although he has played four BBL matches at both venues. Additionally, he has only played one day-night pink ball match in his first-class career, for Australia A against New Zealand A in Mackay last year.
But regardless, McSweeney is now a realistic candidate to fill the role for the first Test against India in Perth.
Another option would be for him to bat at his usual number 3 spot with Marnus Labuschagne moving up, something captain Pat Cummins did not rule out.
“It could be done,” Cummins said before the first ODI against Pakistan. “Maybe once we start discussing who’s on the team, then we’ll start looking at the batting order.
“Ronnie [coach Andrew McDonald] and I’ve said it enough: where you bat is not that important. You’re trying to figure out how the batting order as a whole will work best. “I don’t think anyone should be very protective of a certain point.”
The lack of
cricket that both McSweeney and Konstas have played at Test venues has been a cause of concern within
cricket Australia in recent weeks, where discussions have been held about the year-on-year decline in the total number of Sheffield Shield matches played on Test pitches, as there is a significant difference between the way Test pitches are played compared to top-class venues such as Junction Oval, Karen Rolton Oval, Allan Border Field and
cricket Central. The CA programming department has not been blamed. It is widely recognized how difficult their task is due to limited land availability, but there is a push to try to address the issue in the future to better prepare players for Test
cricket. It’s part of the reason three Shield day-night matches were added to this year’s schedule at short notice last month, despite the entire season initially being scheduled as day games.
Australia A XI 1 Marcus Harris, 2 Nathan McSweeney (captain), 3 Cameron Bancroft, 4 Sam Konstas, 5 Ollie Davies, 6 Beau Webster, 7 Jimmy Peirson (week), 8 Michael Neser, 9 Nathan McAndrew, 10 Scott Boland, 11 Corey Rocchiccioli
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