‘Never give up hope’: Forgotten man in mix for Ashes recall amid Konstas doubts

An Aussie cricket great believes the door is open for a forgotten man to earn a Test recall for the Ashes amid growing doubts over Sam Konstas.

Mike Hussey believes the door may be ajar for Cameron Bancroft to return to Australia’s XI for the Ashes, despite the forgotten opener’s fears that the ship may have sailed on his Test career.

Usman Khawaja appears set to play out the Ashes before retiring, but the jury is still out on teenager Sam Konstas, who hasn’t made a big score since his blistering half century against India last Boxing Day.

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Konstas has scores of 60, 8, 23, 22, 3, 5, 25, 0, 17, and 0 in Test cricket so far and his form against the West Indies has raised serious doubts over whether he will open the batting against England this summer.

The commentators described it as a “miserable first trip to the West Indies for Konstas”.

Konstas is clearly a talented player and a star of the future, but he has looked lost at times during against the West Indies with some technical flaws on display.

Speaking to news.com.au, Hussey said Konstas was still making his way in Test cricket but there are alternatives if selectors opted to go with a more experienced player to partner Khawaja at the top of the order against England.

The first few Sheffield Shield matches before the first Ashes Test in Perth on November 21 could prove pivotal in the make-up of Australia’s top six.

Hussey flagged West Australian batters Cam Bancroft and Sam Whiteman as potential options to come into the Australian XI, while the likes of Kurtis Patterson, Henry Hunt, Jason Sangha could force themselves into the selection frame with strong form.

Matt Renshaw and Marcus Harris are other opening options, but their window at Test level may have come and gone.

Hussey said: “There’s no one in particular that I think ‘I’d love to see this guy in’, but what I am excited about is I feel like there’s a number of guys that have a great opportunity for the start of the next Sheffield Shield season to really hit the ground running, get a couple of really big scores and throw their name right into the mix.

“Obviously (Nathan) McSweeney got a bit of an opportunity last year, he’s one. Marcus Harris has been scoring runs in England, he’s been around for a little while.

Sam Konstas will be under pressure to keep his spot. (Photo by Randy Brooks / AFP)

“Kurtis Patterson’s been doing well for New South Wales. Jason Sangha for South Australia finished off the season brilliantly last year. I mean there’s still Cameron Bancroft and Sam Whiteman floating around with a bit of experience as well. I’m probably missing a couple that should be in the conversation as well.

“That’s the exciting thing. Yes, maybe there’s some brilliant players that are coming towards the back end of their career, but hopefully got a little bit more cricket left in them, but there’s going to be some good competition for spots moving forward.”

Bancroft played the last of his 10 Tests in the 2019 Ashes, and has been solid for Western Australia in the Sheffield Shield and for Gloucestershire in County Cricket – he was the top Shield runscorer in 2022/23 and 2023/24 with hauls of 945 and 778 runs.

Could Cameron Bancroft be in the mix for a Test recall? (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

The 32-year-old, who was infamously involved in the sandpaper scandal, recently made the tough admission he believes his chances of a Test recall may be over.

“You never give up hope, but I’ve got to say that the squad and set-up is looking at the moment means I’m probably not going to get the chance,” Bancroft said on behalf of Genting Casino.

“To be able to represent my country again would be awesome and I’ve played in a couple of Ashes series which were great fun to be part of. The way both countries come together is unique and it makes for a really exciting contest.

“The wonderful thing about playing county cricket is that I’ve faced some of the English talent that is knocking around. I played with (England fast bowler) Matt Potts up at Durham a few years ago and is exciting that these types of bowlers are getting the opportunity.”

Sam Whiteman of Western Australia is another player with strong domestic form. (AAP Image/Richard Wainwright)

Henry Hunt of the Redbacks has put together some strong seasons. (Photo by Steve Bell/Getty Images)

England have not won a Test match in Australia since the 2010-11 series, but it is expected to be a more closely contested Ashes series than England’s previous three tours to Australia.

A settled batting line-up with plenty of firepower has England hopeful of winning their first Ashes series since 2015, but the fortunes of the Poms will likely come down to the availability of their fast bowling brigade following the retirements of James Anderson and Stuart Broad.

“Both Brydon Carse and Matthew Potts have what it takes to succeed in Australia. They have good air speed, which is a vital tool,” Bancroft said.

“We’ve got a couple of bowlers at Gloucestershire that have played for Lions recently and could transition into international cricket. Ajeet Singh Dale is someone I rate very highly. he’s a wonderful bowler who hasn’t previously got the returns he deserves in domestic cricket.

“The package he offers and the way he bowls makes me think he’s someone who would be successful for England. He’s a really good learner, he is someone who I think is keen to improve and who is keen can play for England. He’s a great professional and I’m not surprised that England have been taking a look at him.”

Cameron Bancroft, Shaun Marsh and Mitchell Marsh celebrate winning the Ashes in 2018. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)

Bncroft believes Australia will be able to retain the Ashes, largely on the back of the historically prolific bowling cartel and the faact Australian pitches have been difficult to bat on in recent summers.

“I’m reasonably confident that Australia will retain the Ashes, especially in our home conditions,” Bancroft said.

“It won’t be easy, but I’d like to think we’d be able to make Australian conditions count and put England under pressure. I don’t see any reason as to why we won’t win the Ashes.”

It’s difficult to get a gauge on form with Australia’s batting looking brittle on tricky pitches in the West Indies, while England and India’s batters are racking up centuries for fun on UK pitches that have been described as highways.

“The conditions in Australia are quite different to anywhere England have played recently, especially in Test cricket,” Bancroft said.

“Across the last couple of years, the pitches haven’t always been flat and batter-friendly. We’ve seen quite a bit of extra pace and bounce in recent times, which means you’re flirting with danger when playing an aggressive style like England do.

“With that being said, though, you need to look at some of the innings Travis Head and Alex Carey have played in a counterattacking style. They are all about putting pressure on the opposition bowlers and seeing them do that in Australia can only big a good thing for. Australia will have be wary of that happening, for sure.

“I think Steve Smith will remain England’s biggest problem, 100 per cent. His experience alone and weight of Ashes runs will be a big factor.

Steve Smith will once again hold the key to the Ashes. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

“The positive thing for England is that their new generation of bowlers will not have faced Steve Smith previously and will go into the Ashes without mental scars of the previous series.

“Whether Cameron Green bats at three during the Ashes probably depends on how he feels when it comes to bowling but, having been a teammate of his and watched his progress recently at Gloucestershire, I know how much hard work he’s been putting in. He’s a still really young and is someone who sure we should be watching out for in the Ashes.”

Victory in the Ashes will help cement Pat Cummins’ legacy as one of the Australia’s great captains, while it’s all on the line for Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum’s attacking ‘Bazball’ method.

“Winning the Ashes will be a nice reflection on Pat Cummins as a captain and a nice reflection of how good this Australia team that he’s been able to lead is,” said Bancroft.

“Leadership is one part, put having the right people around you means everything can come together.

“This team, for sure, is one of the best Australian teams we’ve seen. They’re right up there.”

England’s Bazballers have some Aussie fans nervous, but Hussey is backing the Aussies to get the job done.

Brydon Carse is part of England’s new look fast bowling brigade. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

“We’re always nervous coming into an Ashes series, but we should still be confident,” Hussey said.

“We play very well in Australian conditions, we know the conditions so well. England will certainly come in pretty hard.

“It looks like they’re trying to build a bit of a pace battery to come in and really test the Australian batters. They believe the way to have success in Australia is by having high pace fast bowlers coming in, which would be a good tactic to make for some exciting cricket, no question about that.

“Their batting looks pretty settled. They’re going to come with certainly some confidence and the way Brendan McCullum leads that sort of team with Ben Stokes, they’re not going to take a backward step. They’ll come out trying to throw some punches and it’s just going to make for such an exciting series.”

Originally published as ‘Never give up hope’: Forgotten man in mix for Ashes recall amid Konstas doubts