Test great Adam Gilchrist is predicting a โdogfightโ between Australia and New Zealand in their looming series, but Michael Vaughan believes Pat Cumminsโ side knows more about themselves following their capitulation in South Africa last month.
Australiaโs cricketers have been in the firing line since squandering a 1-0 series lead in their recent tour of South Africa.
Former Test batsman Usman Khawajaโs explosive revelations in his autobiography Sabr regarding who knew what in the 2018 sandpaper scandal against South Africa has gripped the cricketing world since Saturday.
But Vaughan, the 2005 Ashes-winning captain, believes Australia is further ahead than they were before the stunning series loss to the Proteas as they prepare for a busy 10 months, featuring tours of India and England.
โIn South Africa, it was a positive tour, even though they lost, because they found Matt Renshaw, they found Josh Inglis,โ Vaughan said at the Kayo and Fox Cricket launch in Sydney.
โMarnus [Labuschagne] has been moved from No.3, whoโs been averaging just over 20 for the last two years. If you want to be the best team in the world, you canโt have your No.3 averaging 20.
โI saw a few signs in that series in South Africa that Australia [are] not going to go away. And England, theyโll be happy with this situation because Australia are under a huge amount of pressure. But, as we saw in 2019 and in 2023, Australia will put up a good fight in England.โ
But debate is still raging about the make-up of Australiaโs XI, especially the top three, four weeks out from the first Test against the Black Caps in Perth from December 9.
Mark Waugh, Mike Hussey and Kerry OโKeeffe believe Travis Head should move down the order.
The trio nominated Sam Konstas as an option to open with Renshaw. The 21-year-old was out for 24 charging Jordan Buckingham playing for NSW on Wednesday in a Shield match, but scored consecutive centuries against Western Australia last month.
โHeโs a lot better than he was. Iโve watched him in the Sheffield Shield โ heโs on top of his game,โ OโKeeffe said.
โI think he played well enough for Australia A in India A without getting a big score. He can handle slow pitches.
โI think Sam will go to England next year as one of the openers. I think Travis Head is a dangerous middle-order player, but a vulnerable opener. So why not try and bond Renshaw and Konstas at the top of the order, because Konstas is the future, and the future is now, to a certain extent.โ
Waugh added: โYou pick a team for this series. The problem is weโve got more middle-order players than weโve got openers.โ
The trio were divided on who should bat at first drop. Waugh and Hussey say Steve Smith should move up from his preferred position at No.4, while OโKeeffe said Nathan McSweeney had grown since his tough initiation against Indiaโs Jasprit Bumrah.
โMcSweeney gets tough runs,โ OโKeeffe said. โIโve watched him in the Shield final last year, he got 50 and 20, they werenโt big scores, but there was a lot in the pitch. And if you want the No.3 to get you tough runs, Nathan McSweeney, he may have a ceiling in terms of his stroke range, but he doesnโt get out when itโs tough โ he fights.โ
Hussey said Labuschagne, who made 12 on his return for Queensland in the Sheffield Shield on Wednesday, could make a case to return to the Australian side, but added that a stint away from the national side could benefit him.
โHeโs just got to get back to playing for Queensland, get back to enjoying his cricket, get back to trying to find his best mental state when heโs playing his best cricket,โ he said.
Gilchrist and Waugh said the Black Caps would be licking their lips at getting a crack against their trans-Tasman neighbours.
โNew Zealand have got a great opportunity,โ Gilchrist said.
โTheyโve achieved a couple of things that this Australian team hasnโt yet: thatโs winning in India, winning in England.
โTheyโre a very industrious, workmanlike team who know how to take games deep.
โI think itโs going to be a challenge. It could be a long, drawn-out dogfight. New Zealand have a great chance.โ
Although Waugh believes New Zealand have their โbest chanceโ in years to beat Australia and have a bowling attack to trouble the Australians โ including Will OโRourke โ the former batsman said the Black Caps had to get over a mental hurdle of facing their trans-Tasman rivals, having beaten them in a Test just once since 1993.
โTheyโve won one out of their last 33 Test matches against Australia. So that is the big hurdle for New Zealand. I think itโs a mental hurdle. Itโs a bit like the All Blacks and the Wallabies,โ Waugh said.
โI think skill-wise, and you look at man for man, New Zealand have got a very good chance.โ
OโKeeffe highlighted Queensland batsman Jack Clayton, leg-spinner Spencer Green and quick Callum Vidler as his three players to watch across the domestic season.
โWatch out for Spencer Green because thereโs no other wrist spinner in the country that has got what he has,โ OโKeeffe, the former spinner, said.
โHeโs an option because weโre crying out โ if Nathan Lyon is to fall at some stage โ for a wrist spinner to announce [himself]. The chief contender from what Iโve seen is S. Green.
โThe player Iโm most excited about in Australian cricket is Callum Vidler, the fast bowler from Queensland. Heโs 145km/h and bowls with a Jimmy Anderson release. Heโs injured, heโs had stress fractures โ thereโs a shock โ but heโs only 21. He is the most exciting of all the prospects.โ
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