Harris makes way for Khawaja at top
Twin centuries a compelling case
SELECTORS have assured Marcus Harris that his Test career is not dead, as Pat Cummins warned that Australia would eventually need a succession plan for having two 35-year-old openers.
It was with a heavy heart that selectors had to tap the Victorian on the shoulder to make way for Usman Khawaja, because they believed Harris had shown he was up to Test level during the Ashes.
Harris has been knocked out by the irrefutable case presented by Khawaja’s twin centuries in Sydney, but Cummins said the fighting left-hander would remain in the mix for Australian selection this year and forecast a potential road back via an Australia A tour of Sri Lanka.
Khawaja and David Warner are both 35, and Cummins said there would be opportunities available to Harris, 29, to claw his way back.
“The message to Harry is we think he’s going really well. It’s really tough on him,” Cummins said.
“Uzzie and Davey have earned that spot to open the batting, but the reality is they’re both 35 years old.
“While that doesn’t mean anything in the short term, there will be a day when we need to find some other openers. Marcus still absolutely has got a huge future with us. He’ll be I’m sure around the squad.
“There might even be an Aussie A squad going overseas in the off-season; there will be Shield cricket, county cricket, lots of opportunities.
“This is probably more of a case of someone demanding a spot rather than Marcus losing a spot due to form.
“It’s not too often someone comes in and hits two hundreds in the same game.”
Ultimately, it was the fact Harris has gone 14 Tests without scoring a hundred that meant he was never going to win a game of musical chairs with Khawaja following the SCG masterclass.
However, Harris’s match-shaping 76 in the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne has been highly regarded by selectors and will not be forgotten.
“I think that innings in Melbourne was fantastic. If Scotty (Boland) doesn’t take 6-7, it was probably a man-ofthe-match type of effort in a low-scoring match,” Cummins said.
“He looks really confident. I’ve seen him take a few more calculated risks the more the series has gone on.
“Whenever he walks out to bat, I feel really confident a big score isn’t far away.
“He’s been growing with each game.
“He was a huge part in how we won that MCG Test. It was a crucial innings.
“He’s certainly part of the future.
“We’ll certainly keep investing with him. I think he’s been going really well.”
Victorian seamer Boland passed a fitness Test on his sore ribs on Thursday and has been cleared to play. However, Australian team management said Boland would still need to clear a final assessment on Friday morning.