News APP

NewsApp (Free)

Read news as it happens
Download NewsApp

Available on  gplay

Home  » Cricket » Will Bancroft open with Khawaja in Border-Gavaskar Trophy?

Will Bancroft open with Khawaja in Border-Gavaskar Trophy?

By REDIFF CRICKET
October 21, 2024 21:01 IST
Get Rediff News in your Inbox:

Australia's Cameron Bancroft bats

IMAGE: Cameron Bancroft last played a Test match against England in the 2019 Ashes series. Photograph: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images from the Rediff Archives

Seasoned star Steven Smith backed the young duo of Sam Konstas and Nic Maddinson to succeed for Australia in the opening order.

With the Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) series approaching against India, Australia are yet to identify the player who will open alongside Usman Khawaja.

After David Warner's retirement, Smith was promoted to the top of the order. However, after an underwhelming stint, Smith was restored to the number four spot in Australia's Test set up.

 

With the top spot vacant ahead of the five Tests against India, youngsters have made a case for themselves to fill in the spot.

Another player poised to make a comeback is the controversial Cameron Bancroft, one of the three players who was banned along with Smith and Warner for the infamous sandpaper gate.

He played his last Test against England at Lord's in the 2019 Ashes series. 

Bancroft was tipped to fill the opening spot post David Warner's retirement earlier this year but the selectors recalled Cameron Green to the Test side with Steve Smith being pushed to open the innings.

With Green out with injury, Bancroft's chances have brightened.

Bancroft, who served a nine-month ban for his role in the 2018 ball-tampering incident, has been the leading run-scorer in the Sheffield Shield for the last two years.

Konstas has been one of the emerging talents who has been pushing hard to break into the Australia Test setup. Recently, Konstas joined legends Ricky Ponting and Don Bradman to be among the youngest players to hit twin Sheffield Shield centuries.

Konstas became the third youngest player to hit Shield Cricket twin tons in the same match during his side New South Wales' match against South Australia.

While featuring for the New South Wales against Victoria, Konstas was trapped in front of the stumps by Scott Boland for a score of 2(10). Smith was still impressed by the limited time that he had to watch the youngster showcase his charm.

"He got a bit unlucky, I reckon. It looked like it might have been just darting down the leg a little bit. I haven't seen a lot of him. I would have liked to have seen a bit more of him out here in the middle for sure. But from what I have seen in the nets, he's got a lot of time," Smith told ESPNcricinfo.

"He's very organised. He plays fast bowling and spins well, from what I've seen in the brief couple of times I've seen him bat, it's looked really good. He's a bright prospect. We've got to remember he's only 19 as well, so he's got plenty of time. But what I've seen so far it looks promising. "He's got all the makings to definitely be a really good Test player. That's for sure. Whether it's now or in the future, time will tell," he added.

Smith also rooted for Maddinson to throw his name into the mix and become a possible candidate to fill in the vacant top-order spot.

"There's a few really good candidates, guys that have done really well the last few years. [Cameron] Bancroft and the usual suspects that have been talked about. Maddo, I think, he is also another really good candidate. He's had a good couple of years. If you're looking for someone similar to a Davey replacement, he gets after the ball and can score really quickly," Smith said.

"So he's someone who probably hasn't been spoken about a great deal from all you guys in the last little bit, but I think he's someone that could definitely play test cricket and have a similar impact to what Davey sort of had at the top, the way he plays. So, plenty of options. We'll wait and see," he noted.

Get Rediff News in your Inbox:
REDIFF CRICKET

India In Australia 2024-2025