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The Prime Minister’s XI has been named for Pakistan’s tour of Australia, and with it comes the chance for lesser known names to stamp their baggy green credentials.
However, it can go the other way too.
Three men – Cameron Bancroft, Marcus Harris and Matthew Renshaw – are in contention to replace David Warner when he retires from Test cricket, and all three have been selected.
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South Australian Nathan McSweeney will captain the side, and has been in fine form with the bat, while Cameron Green will want to impress as he competes with Mitch Marsh for the all-rounder spot in the Test summer.
While the PM’s XI match against Pakistan is just one game, and Sheffield Shield runs may carry more weight, former Aussie captain Ian Chappell believes that isn’t the biggest barometer when it comes to Warner’s replacement in the future.
“Bancroft is probably making the best case at the moment, the problem is: 1. He’s 31; and 2. He’s making a lot of runs in Shield cricket and Shield cricket is a much diluted competition nowadays, so that’s difficult,” he said on Wide World of Sports’ Outside the Rope.
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So with the PM’s XI side selected, burning questions remain ahead of the Test summer against Pakistan and the West Indies.
Who has the most to lose?
There’s a lot at play for Australia’s future superstar all-rounder Cameron Green.
The 24-year-old has a 10-year career in the baggy green but whether he’s selected in the short-term is another consideration.
Australian selectors found a way for both he and Mitchell Marsh to play in the fifth Ashes Test. However, that only came about due to Nathan Lyon’s absence.
A lack of runs and wickets for Green could see Marsh hold onto his spot, and it will be hard to displace him considering the quality of opposition.
What’s the most important position at play?
The openers.
How three openers fit into the line-up remains to be seen, with one likely to bat at No.3.
Bancroft is currently the leading run-scorer in the Sheffield Shield, with 505 runs at 63.12.
Renshaw has 305 runs at 33.88, having opened in all five of his matches this season.
Harris missed out on the opening match due to the birth of his child and has since scored 273 runs at 39.
All three men will fight for David Warner’s spot when he retires from Test cricket, having previously flagged the SCG Test as his last.
Australia will play the West Indies in two Tests after the Pakistan series. A big score for either batter could put them firmly in the frame.
Who has the most to gain?
Nathan McSweeney and Beau Webster have taken the Sheffield Shield by storm this season.
Twenty-four-year-old McSweeney has two centuries to his name and a half century, scoring 456 runs at 50.66.
Named as captain for the side, he’s clearly on the radar for selectors with Steve Smith closer to the finish line than the start.
Beau Webster’s hundred in his most recent Shield match for Tasmania against NSW was his first of the season, after scoring five half-centuries. Two not-outs means his average has sky rocketed to 97.40. Handy with the ball too, the all-rounder has taken 11 wickets.
It means the two least recognisable names in this PM’s XI side likely form part of future plans.
Who’s waiting until next summer?
Grenfell-raised Henry Hunt has been discussed as a potential replacement for Warner or Usman Khawaja in the future.
His form in Sheffield Shield this season hasn’t hit the mark, scoring 271 runs at 27.10. He does have a hundred to his name though, scored against Queensland in early November, reminding selectors what he’s capable of.
Australia seems to have significant depth in the opener’s spot, and young prodigy Will Pucovski is another to have missed out.
The one-Test representative has shuffled between the opening spot and No.3, scoring 112 runs at 16 and will likely need a big rest of the season to get himself back into contention.
Prime Minister’s XI squad:
Nathan McSweeney (c) (SA – Glenelg Cricket Club)
Cameron Bancroft (WA – Willetton Premier Cricket Club)
Cameron Green (WA – Subiaco Floreat Cricket Club)
Marcus Harris (VIC – St Kilda Cricket Club)
Nathan McAndrew (SA – Woodville District Cricket Club)
Todd Murphy (VIC – St Kilda Cricket Club)
Michael Neser (QLD – Gold Coast District Cricket Club)
Jimmy Peirson (QLD – Redlands Cricket Club)
Matthew Renshaw (QLD – Toombul District Cricket Club)
Mark Steketee (QLD – Valley District Cricket Club)
Beau Webster (TAS – Kingborough District Cricket Club)
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