Crucial Smith call to decide Konstas v Connolly battle for Test spot

Australia will once again enter a summer of cricket with some doubts over its Test XI, particularly the batting line-up.

This year’s series’ against Bangladesh and South Africa have ultimately answered a few of the lingering questions, but others remain heading into an enormous year of cricket.

Australia will soon run the gauntlet of hosting New Zealand before away tours of India and England. An unstable batting order will certainly be exposed if they don’t begin to find some answers.

So, let’s go through the big questions facing coach Andrew McDonald, chief selector George Bailey and captain Pat Cummins ahead of three enormous Test series’.

Who opens?

There does appear to be multiple options for the selectors to sort through at the top here, but a lot depends on where Travis Head wants to settle in long term.

Head has proven he can make runs anywhere and if he is comfortable continuing to open the batting, then that spot is his for as long as he wants it.

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Matt Renshaw’s ton in the middle order has been Australia’s big win of the tour of South Africa so far, and he looked strong and secure as an opener in the first innings in Cape Town.

He has likely secured his spot at the top of the order for at least the home summer, but early runs in Australia could see him locked in for the long haul.

Renshaw and Head feels a strong combination, and raises questions about the selection of Nic Maddinson at the start of the tour.

The wildcard in the mix is Sam Konstas, who has suddenly found form in the Sheffield Shield, making a pair of tons.

Konstas has gone back to the Shield after his shock call-up across 2024 and 2025 and has hit form at the right time.

His NSW partner Ollie Davies is also one to keep an eye on.

Who bats at three?

Which leads us to question number two. Could Konstas come in at first drop?

This may be the cleanest solution for Australia, given Steve Smith likely wants to stay at four and Cam Green needs to build confidence at five. However, Smith’s record at No.3 is phenomenal, with eight Test centuries and average of 67.11 from 30 innings coming in at first drop. There’s a strong argument to be made that Smith should finish his career in the toughest position to bat, to allow his less experienced peers to settle into the batting order lower down.

If not Konstas, the likes of Nathan McSweeney and Kurtis Patterson are also making runs at Shield level and could fill the void here.

And no, we’re not wasting time discussing Marnus Labuschagne, that question has been answered for 18 months now, sorry. If the selectors want to continue pretending otherwise, that is their prerogative.

But Australia needs a new face at No.3 and it comes down to Smith’s appetite to move up the order.

If it’s not him, Konstas may have the inside running due to his incredibly high ceiling and his recent form resurgence.

Is Cam Green a lock at five?

Josh Inglis’ century in Cape Town has clouded this debate, but if Smith continues to bat at four, the obvious options at No.5 are Green and Inglis.

Green was under enormous pressure before finding form against Bangladesh, but a poorly timed injury has seen him miss the first two Tests in South Africa.

Thankfully for the Aussies, he was able to bat at four in Cape Town and looked immediately solid, which will fill him with confidence.

His spot in the XI again appears to be reasonably secure, pending health and potentially his ability to bowl. He did not bowl in the first innings in Cape Town, suggesting that there are still some concerns with the West Australian’s body.

Given Renshaw made a ton in this spot in South Africa, Inglis followed that with a century of his own in Cape Town and the plethora of middle order options Australia has to consider (Nathan McSweeney, Kurtis Patterson, Jack Clayton, etc), Green sliding down to six looks to be a live option.

Usman Khawaja recently raised Clayton as the untested player who deserves more buzz.

Does Carey stay at six? Who bats at seven?

Alex Carey batting at six has been tried quite a lot recently in the Aussie setup, but is it working? He certainly started strong, with scores of 63, 106 and 72 in the Ashes, but it has been lean since.

His first innings 80 in Cape Town is his highest since that initial burst.

The Aussies may consider dropping him back down to seven against New Zealand and picking a specialist batter in that spot, though they clearly like reserving seven for an all-rounder with some batting upside, like Cooper Connolly or Beau Webster.

If Green’s body allows him to bowl, perhaps the answer is for him to slide to a more traditional all-rounder’s spot in the line-up at six?

If they stick with Carey at six, Connolly currently enters the home summer as the incumbent after displacing Webster, but with Smith to return and Inglis firing with the bat, it feels more likely that the latter drops down the order and the all-rounder misses out.

Inglis has bat behind Carey previously in Test matches, but two centuries in five Tests batting at No.5 suggests he deserves a run in the top six. Either Green at five and Inglis at six or vice versa seems the most logical scenario.

Does Boland carry drinks all summer?

Death, taxes and Australia’s five champion bowlers needing to fit into four slots. If everyone is healthy, somebody has to sit on the sidelines and that man for the longest period of time has been Scott Boland.

Injuries to Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood in recent years have opened the door for extended runs for Boland across the Aussie summer, while Nathan Lyon has been overlooked for the occasional pink ball Test.

But the selectors showed in Cape Town that Boland could be comfortably the team’s best bowler and contribute significantly with the bat and still be omitted for the cartel’s preferred quartet.

Unlike the batting unit, Australia’s bowling group remains in the same status quo it has lived in for quite a number of years now.

Potential XI for Australian summer: Travis Head, Matt Renshaw, Sam Konstas, Steve Smith, Josh Inglis, Cameron Green, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood

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