Given the public attention surrounding the matches against India A, captain Pat Cummins has downplayed the so-called “bat off” for the final slot in Australia’s Test team, but he has pointed out that it does offer a “final piece of information” and aid the player selected in getting ready for the first Test.
After missing the September UK tour, Cummins will make his first international appearance since the T20 World Cup in June when he takes against Pakistan in the first ODI of the summer. He spoke at the MCG on Sunday.
With the exception of a one-off match in Sri Lanka, the three-match series does have some significance because it is Australia’s penultimate ODI series before the Champions Trophy in February, but the primary talking point is still the battle for the Test team’s final batting position.
In the Australia A match against India A in Mackay, four players—Marcus Harris, Nathan McSweeney, Sam Konstas, and Cameron Bancroft—showed themselves as the front-runners for the open position at the top of the order.
Since two batters must be chosen from an expanded 13 to guarantee that there is a batting concussion substitute with the team in Perth, McSweeney, who finished undefeated at 88 in Australia A’s triumph, is most likely going to be included in the Test squad. Konstas and Bancroft each missed out twice, while Harris started both innings without making any progress.
Cummins stated that he had monitored Mackay’s scores and emphasized that the quartet will probably have another opportunity to make an impression in the second four-day match at the MCG, which begins on Thursday. However, he emphasized that when it comes to first Test selection, the Australia A games are not the last say.
Cummins said, “I think it’s like a final bit of information,” “A bat off is seldom as easy as it seems. There are individuals who have played Shield cricket for more than ten years, and there are others who have just played a few games.
“Is the past several weeks truly so significant? Although it has some weight, it won’t influence the choice entirely. Thus, it’s the last decision.
“Those final two games are under a lot of strain, which is likely what you’ll experience in Test cricket regardless of how you feel about it. I guess that whomever is selected has already been under as much strain as they might be in a Test debut. Thus, it indicates that they are in a rather good position.
Given that McSweeney bats at No. 3 in South Australia’s first-class cricket, Cummins was questioned whether there was any chance Marnus Labuschagne might open the batting to allow McSweeney to make his debut there.
He responded, “You could do,” Cummins. “Again, you might start examining the batting order once we sort of start talking about who’s in the side.
“As Ronnie [Andrew McDonald] and I have stated many times, we don’t think it matters where you bat. You attempt to determine the optimal way for the whole batting order to perform. Furthermore, I don’t believe that somebody should be extremely cautious in a certain area.
Given how outspoken Labuschagne and Steven Smith had been about the latter’s decision to abandon opening in Test cricket, Cummins did observe that there had been a lot of banter at training over the past two days around batting order placements.
After missing the T20I and ODI tour of the UK to prepare for the summer with a major training block in Sydney, Cummins claimed to be feeling as physically fit as he has in a long time. He also gave an explanation for why he chose not to play a Shield game before the first Test.
“The one that I would have had to play back here in Melbourne, I probably would have had to start bowling about an extra two or three weeks earlier,” he stated. “So we kind of decided to prioritize that and spend an additional two weeks working out. Since I feel like I’ve been doing it for a while, I think the ODIs will give me a head start, and we’ll definitely make sure to practice a lot of red-ball and center wickets in the two weeks leading up to the first Test to attempt to recreate it.”
When asked if he will play in all three of the ODIs against Pakistan, Cummins expressed uncertainty. A week before he must make the same journey for the Perth Test, he indicated he will play the first two games, but it looks probable he would skip the last match in Perth to avoid a cross-country return flight.
With ODI vice-captain Mitchell Marsh skipping the series due to paternity leave, Australia will need to appoint a skipper if he does miss the Perth match.
In the past, both Josh Hazlewood and Smith have captained the ODI team, but it’s possible that similar reasons as Cummins may sideline them from the Perth trip.
This week will see the announcement of Australia’s next T20I captain, with Matt Short and Josh Inglis being the two most likely contenders.
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