Bancroft and Harris were left out of the two-Test series that begins in Adelaide on January 17; Renshaw, on the other hand, was given a lifeline in the form of a Test cap.
Australian all-rounder Cameron Green will lead off the opening Test matchup against the West Indies, the selectors announced on Wednesday. It is unclear, though, who will take David Warner’s spot as the opener. Following the final Test match in Sydney against Pakistan, Warner withdrew from the five-day match. Warner has been a mainstay at the top of the order for twelve years. Well-known openers Matt Renshaw, Marcus Harris, and Cameron Bancroft were long considered the front-runners for the position until Steve Smith declared last week that he was interested in taking it on.
Bancroft and Harris were left out of the two-Test series that begins in Adelaide on January 17; Renshaw, on the other hand, was given a lifeline in the form of a Test cap.
Chief selector George Bailey, however, stated that Green, who has recently been pushed out of the team by a resurgent Mitchell Marsh, will undoubtedly play.
That would put him in at number four, where he typically plays for Western Australia, or at the start of the innings.
In that case, Smith could bat first, and Renshaw would be the backup hitter, according to extensive reports from the local media.
In Test cricket, neither Smith nor Green have ever opened.
“Cameron Green will come into the playing XI for the Test in Adelaide in a squad also containing Scott Boland and Matthew Renshaw,” Bailey stated.
“We have selected a team we believe contains the best six batters in the country.”
Bancroft has been the top run scorer in the Sheffield Shield for the past two seasons, so his participation is a major setback. Renshaw, at 27, is four years younger.
The ability of pace leaders Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchell Starc—who participated in all three Test matches against Pakistan—to sustain themselves for an additional two is also uncertain.
Boland will relieve selectors if they choose to rest one of them.
Along with Cummins being rested and Smith taking over as captain, selectors also announced a 13-man team for the one-day series against the West Indies that comes after the Tests.
In addition, Marsh, Starc, and Hazlewood will miss the three games.
“The squad strikes a balance between players continuing to make their mark on international cricket, playing alongside some of our most experienced players with an eye to the future in this format,” Bailey said about the one-day team.
Australia Test squad: Pat Cummins (capt), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchel Marsh, Matt Renshaw, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc
Australia ODI squad:Steve Smith (capt), Sean Abbott, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Lance Morris, Jhye Richardson, Matt Short, Adam Zampa
