Matt Renshaw misses Australia A squad, as teen star Sam Konstas joins Cam Bancroft, Marcus Harris in Test frame

The picture for Australia’s first Test team is becoming clearer – with chief selector George Bailey revealing plenty after the announcement of the Australia A squad.

Daniel Cherny

@danielcherny

4 min read

October 14, 2024 - 3:08PM

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Whizkid Sam Konstas is officially “in the mix” to play Test cricket this summer while the Steve Smith opening experiment is over.

Smith told Australian captain Pat Cummins and coach Andrew McDonald that he had wanted to move back down the order even before Cameron Green’s season-ending back injury, and the former Aussie skipper will now get his wish given a vacancy has arisen at No.4.

National selection chair George Bailey would not be drawn on whether Smith would have remained as an opener if not for Green’s stress fracture of the lumbar spine, an affliction that has led to surgery and is likely to sideline the all-rounder for about six months.

Bailey would also not guarantee that Smith would again bat at No.4, nor that a specialist opener would be picked in the XI for the first Test against Perth, leaving the door ajar for one of the other incumbent top six to bat alongside Usman Khawaja.

But Bailey said NSW opener Konstas, who last week became the first teenager since Ricky Ponting more than three decades ago to make two centuries in the same Sheffield Shield match, was a contender to play in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series after being picked in the Australia A squad to confront India A beginning on October 31 in Mackay.

Young gun Sam Konstas has been parachuted into the Australia A squad. Picture: Getty

Test discards Marcus Harris and Cam Bancroft are also in contention however, having also been included in the A squad.

“He’s in the mix as are plenty of others,” Bailey said on Monday.

“I certainly don’t want to single him out. I think the consistency of Cam Bancroft over a number of years, the consistency of Marcus Harris over a number of years, they’ve both had a look at Test cricket as well.

“So I don’t think there’s any need at this stage to put any undue pressure or expectation on Sam. As I said, he’s five games into his first-class career. He’s had a good start to that, and he certainly looks like he’s got a well-organised game that we’re really excited and looking forward to seeing at the A level, and we’ll just continue to watch as that progresses.”

Smith volunteered to move to the top of the order in January when a position opened following the retirement of David Warner.

Steve Smith’s time at the top of the order is over. Picture: Getty

But Smith averaged just 28.50 in the position across four Tests against the West Indies and New Zealand.

His public statements around continuing in the role had softened over the Winter, with Bailey volunteering that Smith had indicated a keenness for a shift.

“I think Pat, Andrew and Steve Smith had been having ongoing conversations, separate to the untimely injury to Cameron anyway. And I think Steve had expressed a desire to move back down from that opening position. And Pat and Andrew have confirmed that he will be dropping back down the order for the summer. So clearly, we’ve got a number four spot to fill and an opening spot to fill.”

As for what would have happened if Green had remained fit, Bailey was noncommittal.

“I think it’s moot. We’ve got another three and a half, four weeks until that Test squad is announced, and what exact order and who is in it, and how they line up or will be determined.”

Another contender to replace Green, Tasmania’s Beau Webster, also earned a call-up. Picture: Getty

All-rounders Aaron Hardie and Beau Webster have also both been included in the Australia A squad and could in theory replace Green in the XI if the selectors pick one of Mitch Marsh, Travis Head or Marnus Labuschagne to partner Khawaja.

Bailey said a like-for-like replacement was not a necessity.

“You don’t know how each Test is going to play out in terms of the workload for the quicks, or how much of an impact Nathan Lyon is going to have across the summer. We will continue preparing for Mitch Marsh to be able to bowl some overs as well, and that’s been part of his management and build for the last couple of months. So there’s other ways. There’s teams that have played, and we’ve been a team that has played without an all-rounder in the past. There’s more than one way to structure up a team.”

Victorian star Fergus O’Neill has beer called into the Australia A squad. Picture: Getty

In other developments from Bailey:

– The selection chair said Matt Renshaw remained on the selectors’ radar despite missing the A squad;

– There is “no priority” to get younger players in the team despite Green having been the sole member of the incumbent Test XI under the age of 30;

– Bancroft’s Shield pair for Western Australia last week would not be fatal to his chances of a recall;

– Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood are both expected to play Shield cricket ahead of the first Test, while Pat Cummins will prepare via the one-dayers against Pakistan;

– The decision to pick teen Mahli Beardman for the white-ball tour of England was made with a view to longer-term thinking and given a lengthy injury list of quicks.

Australian ODI Squad:

Pat Cummins (NSW/Penrith Cricket Club) (c)

Sean Abbott (NSW/Parramatta District Cricket Club)

Cooper Connolly (WA/Scarborough Cricket Club)

Jake Fraser-McGurk (SA/West Torrens Cricket Club)

Aaron Hardie (WA/Willetton Cricket Club)

Josh Hazlewood (NSW/St George Cricket Club)

Josh Inglis (WA/Joondalup Cricket Club)  

Marnus Labuschagne (QLD/Redlands Cricket Club)

Glenn Maxwell (VIC/Fitzroy Doncaster Cricket Club)

Matthew Short (VIC/Northcote Cricket Club)

Steve Smith (NSW/Sutherland Cricket Club)