Sam Konstas and Usman Khawaja opened for Australia on the West Indies tour.
There have been talks of how the current Australia line-up for the upcoming Ashes 2025 is the weakest in recent years. While there is some truth to it, the hosts will be delighted with the recent performances from their players in the ongoing Sheffield Shield.
With the first Test of the much awaited series just over a month away, Australia are yet to finalise their squad to take on England. They have several questions leading up to the Perth Test, especially regarding the top order.
The second round of the Sheffield Shield saw Marnus Labuschagne and Jake Weatherald push their case for a spot in the Australia playing XJ for that first Test. Labuschagne scored a magnificent 159 off 197 in Queensland’s clash against South Australia. The next best from his team had a score of 66 as they piled on 319/6.
This was Labuschagne’s fourth century across formats in the last one month, hitting two in List A cricket and two in the Shield. In the first round of the Shield, he scored a superb 160 against Tasmania and followed it up with 105 versus the same opponents in the One-Day Cup.
Labuschagne has form on his side and is likely to earn a recall to the Test team. He had a lengthy run of poor form, and was eventually dropped after the World Test Championship (WTC) final against South Africa. The 31-year-old opened the innings in that game but could manage only 17 and 22 in two innings.
While Labuschagne is likely to return to the team, Jake Weatherald is in line for his international debut. The 31-year-old opener has been a consistent performer in the domestic circuit, especially in the longer format.
Weatherald pushed his case for a Test spot when Sri Lanka A toured Down Under in July. He hit a fifty in the first unofficial Test and backed it up with a terrific 183 in the second. He started the Shield season with twin fifties against Queensland.
The left-hand batter has now all but secured his place with a sensational knock against Western Australia on a spicy Hobart pitch. In a match where only two batters managed to touch the 50-run mark across three innings, Weatherald struck 94 off 99 deliveries.
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Sam Konstas, who became a national hero in Australia after taking on Jasprit Bumrah on his Test debut, is in the firing line following a string of low scores. The 19-year-old batter has played five Tests so far, returning 163 runs at an average of 16 with only one fifty.
Konstas hasn’t been able to do much recently barring a century for Australia A in the tour of India. Now the failures in the first two rounds of the Sheffield Shield have put his incumbent opening spot in danger. He was dismissed for 4 & 14 against Western Australia at the WACA, and fell for a duck to Scott Boland in the first innings versus Victoria.
More than the scores, it’s how Konstas has looked at the crease which could give bigger concern to the management. Feet not moving, lack of confidence, and a vulnerable technique has exposed a big hole in his game.
With Weatherald in the form of his life and Labuschagne regaining his touch, Australia now have a clearer picture for the Ashes opener. Weatherald is most likely to open alongside Usman Khawaja while Labuschagne slots in at his usual position. It will also free up Cameron Green to play slightly down the order, especially with Beau Webster currently nursing an injury.
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