Sheffield Shield Round Two Talking Points: Can Marcus Harris, Sam Konstas deliver knockout blows?

The race for the vacant Australian men’s Test opener spot heats up with round two of the Sheffield Shield starting on Sunday. Marcus Harris and teen prodigy Sam Konstas lead the way, the question is can one of them seal the deal or will someone else emerge?

Despite all three matches resulting in draws, there were plenty of talking points across the opening round of the Sheffield Shield season.

And with even more big names back in action this week, even more storylines should emerge.

KONSTAS V BOLAND

Tests of mettle in domestic cricket don’t come much sterner than going up against Scott Boland at the venue where he may one day stand in statue form.

Having not played competitively in six months after a foot issue ended his county stint with Durham and a knee concern delayed his start to the Australian season, Boland is set to return for Victoria on Sunday and likely unleash the new ball on upstart NSW teen Sam Konstas, who is threatening a meteoric rise into the Test side for the start of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series.

Scott Boland returns for Victoria this week. Picture: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

It’s one thing to get it done against a solid South Australian attack in Sydney last week, but if the Blues opener can tame Boland, Fergus O’Neill and Todd Murphy then the hype around the kid will reach overdrive ahead of the Australia A series billed as a bat-off for the vacant spot in the Australian top six.

Sam Konstas during one of his back-to-back Sheffield Shield centuries during round one against South Australia. Picture: Mark Evans/Getty Images

HARRIS V NSW ATTACK

Speaking of the bat-off, the MCG clash is also an enormous opportunity for Marcus Harris, who hasn’t played a Test since early 2022.

He headed into the season determined not to dwell on whether he would play international cricket again but the combination of Cameron Green’s injury and an excellent start to the season against Tasmania once again has him at the forefront of the selection conversation.

Marcus Harris is among the front-runners for the vacant opening spot in the Australian Test side. Picture: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images

However beating up on the Tigers at a flat Junction Oval only says so much, especially given getting runs at St Kilda has never really been the concern for Harris.

However Harris can silence the knockers considerably if he can handle Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon and co.

Succeed against half the Aussie Test attack and Harris may have one foot back in the Test team heading into the India A series.

CAN BANCROFT BOUNCE BACK?

The third opener in the A squad is the one perhaps stiffest to have missed out when a spot popped up in the Test side following the retirement of David Warner in January. Bancroft had dominated Shield cricket but it wasn’t enough to earn a call-up then. Less than ideal though for Bancroft is that now that a position is again available, his Shield season has started with a pair against Tasmania.

Cameron Bancroft started his audition for the Test team in the worst fashion possible. Picture: Paul Kane/Getty Images

Selection chair George Bailey insisted that Bancroft’s struggles against Michael Neser last week won’t be fatal to the West Australia’s chances, and it was telling that he was included in the A squad ahead of Matt Renshaw. In any case though, Bancroft can ill-afford more failures when he lines up against Tasmania.

WHAT ABOUT BIG SLUG?

A middling and unassuming state player for much of the past decade, Tasmania’s Beau Webster has catapulted himself into Test calculations on the back of an outstanding Shield campaign last season in which he was the competition’s leading run scorer while also claiming 30 wickets, having switched from off-spin to bowling predominantly seam-up in recent years.

Beau Webster started his Shield campaign with 113 is emerging as a real option to fill the all-rounder role in Australia’s men’s Test team. Picture: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

He backed it up with a monster county stint with Gloucestershire and has started the Australian season well too, taking wickets in one-dayers and making a ton against Victoria at the Junction last week. Aaron Hardie is centrally contracted but Webster is coming with a bolt should selectors be keen to add an extra all-round option to the Test squad for the India series. Webster has another chance to put forward his case against the might of WA in Perth before he departs for Australia A duties.

RENSHAW’S REVENGE?

One man who isn’t in the A squad is Renshaw. It is a remarkable fall given only seven months ago he was the spare batter with the Test side in New Zealand and was in January described by Bailey as the next best batter behind the incumbent top six in the country.

Renshaw is a man in desperate need of form to put himself back in the Test openers mix. Picture: Paul Kane/Getty Images)

But Renshaw’s back end to the last Shield season was poor, his county stint with Somerset was solid but unspectacular, and he made six and 15 for Queensland against WA last week in Perth. Bailey said on Monday that Renshaw - along with fellow Test discards Peter Handscomb and Nic Maddinson - remained in the frame for Test selection despite not being included for the A games, but it can hardly be viewed as a positive sign for the 28-year-old. His Bulls take on South Australia, giving Renshaw the chance to send a message back to the selectors.

MISSING PERSONS UNIT

A couple of noteworthy figures won’t be at the Queensland-South Australia game. New Bulls coach Johan Botha will instead be in Perth competing for Australia at an ultra-marathon event, while Jake Fraser-McGurk has again missed selection for SA, who preferred Jake Lehmann to take Travis Head’s middle order spot.

Originally published as Sheffield Shield Round Two Talking Points: Can Marcus Harris, Sam Konstas deliver knockout blows?