Weatherald, Renshaw in ‘knife-edge’ Ashes selection call

4 hours ago 3

Jake Weatherald and Matt Renshaw were on tenterhooks last night as they awaited a call to find out whether they had made it into Australia’s extended squad for the first Ashes Test in Perth later this month.

Sam Konstas was also waiting by the phone, albeit more in hope than expectation, after an undulating start to the domestic season for the incumbent Test opener.

Sources close to Konstas, speaking on condition of anonymity because the squad had not been officially named yet, were not optimistic about the 20-year-old keeping his place in the team, with selectors likely to call upon a more seasoned figure to take a proactive role at the top.

But one figure with knowledge of selection discussions described the choice between Renshaw, 29, and Weatherald, 31, as a “knife-edge”.

Both Renshaw and Weatherald have plenty of advocates around Australian cricket. Renshaw has previously shown his capability at Test level, while Weatherald has been the best performing aggressive opener in domestic ranks over the past couple of years.

Selectors George Bailey, Andrew McDonald and Tony Dodemaide had set time aside on Tuesday to make a call one way or the other, ahead of an expected Ashes squad announcement on Wednesday. The Twenty20 series against India resumes on Thursday on the Gold Coast.

T20 skipper Mitchell Marsh has also been mentioned in conversations around the opening position, but he is considered more likely to make his entry into the series after the first couple of Tests, should the team need him.

The vexed decision around the second opener in the squad relates to uncertainty when it comes to how much Cameron Green may be able to bowl following back surgery this time last year.

So far, Green has bowled just four overs in a single Sheffield Shield game this summer. He is slated to bowl again in Western Australia’s next Shield fixture on November 11, but the selectors want extra bowling cover in case Green is still not fully ready.

That means there is a strong chance that Beau Webster will keep his place in the Test side, having done very little wrong in six matches to date. However, that decision would also force Marnus Labuschagne to open the batting, as he did in his most recent Test, the World Championship final at Lord’s in June.

Australia’s preferred configuration is for Green to play as the sole allrounder, making room for a specialist opener to complement Usman Khawaja at the top, then allow Labuschagne to bat three, Steve Smith at four and Travis Head five.

With skipper Pat Cummins travelling to Perth but not yet ready to play due to his recovery from a back injury, the reserve pace bowling spots will be closer to the frontline than before. Brendan Doggett is favoured to be part of the squad having missed the West Indies tour with injury.

Sean Abbott and Michael Neser, a pair of perennial backup pace bowlers for Australia in recent years, were duelling for the final spot in the squad.

He claimed match figures of 7-86 for South Australia against WA at the WACA Ground last week, and is highly regarded for his combination of high pace, height and considerable skill.

“I’ve been waiting for this for a long time, so if I do get a call to join that squad, I’ll be ready and we will see what happens,” Doggett said in Adelaide on Tuesday. “I’ve been in and around it a few times now, but I think we’ve got the best bowling attack in world cricket, and I feel like we have had for a long time.

“So it’s just great for me to be able to share a change room with these world-class bowlers, just watching how they go about it, and how durable and professional they are. So it’s been great learning for me, being around that environment.

“Those guys have won pretty much every trophy you can win, so I guess I can look at it and feel sorry for myself or go, ‘well, what a time to be around these sort of guys.’ You know what I mean? They’re going to go down in history as the best to ever do it, so yeah it’s pretty cool to be able to rub shoulders with them.”

Possible Australian Test squad: Steve Smith (capt), Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Beau Webster, Josh Inglis, Alex Carey, Jake Weatherald, Mitchell Starc, Scott Boland, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood, Sean Abbott, Brendan Doggett. Pat Cummins also travelling to Perth

News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport are sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.