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Pat Cummins has revealed it’s possible Marnus Labuschagne could open in the first Test against India, as Nathan McSweeney pushed his case for a Test debut.
McSweeney on Sunday emerged as the big winner of the great bat-off, scoring an unbeaten 88 to guide Australia A to a seven-wicket win over India A in Mackay.
After three days of failures and missed opportunities for Test hopefuls in Mackay, McSweeney looked completely at ease as Australia A chased down the fourth-innings target of 225.
Australia are expected to pick their side for the first Test in Perth on Friday or Saturday, giving aspirants one more innings for Australia A in Melbourne this week.
And for now, McSweeney is the man in form.
The 25-year-old has never previously opened in first-class cricket, and has averaged 97 batting at No.3 for South Australia this season.
But it is possible his inexperience as an opener may not be an issue, with Cummins revealing it was possible Labuschagne could open on November 22 in a top-order shake up.
“You could do,” Cummins said.
“Maybe once we we kind of start discussing who’s in the side then you start looking at the batting order.
“Ronnie (coach Andrew McDonald) and I have said it quite a bit – where you bat isn’t that important.
“You try and work out how the batting order as a whole is going to function best. I don’t think anyone should be super protective around a certain spot on that.”
Nathan McSweeney bats on day three. (Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images)
Cummins also indicated he would have no issue bringing a debutant in for the start of a big five-Test series against India.
“Whoever’s picked, they’re going to come off the back of plenty of runs at the start of the year will be well positioned,” Cummins said.
“The reality is you try and make a debut as comfortable as you can … It’s not like they’re going to wake up one morning and suddenly be told they’re playing.”
McSweeney’s runs came as part of an 141-run fourth-wicket stand with Beau Webster (61no), who is also making a case for a Test call up.
“I’m really confident in my game. I’m progressing and I’m batting some of the best innings I’ve played,” McSweeney told reporters in Mackay on Sunday.
“Hopefully I can continue to learn and get better. If the opportunity comes, I feel like I’m ready.
“If it doesn’t, I’ll keep working hard and hope that one day I get that call-up.
“All I can worry about is making sure my game is in good order. I’ve got to continue to try and punch out runs.”
Webster topped the Sheffield Shield’s run-scoring charts last season and could challenge Aaron Hardie as Mitch Marsh’s back-up this summer.
But the more pressing issue for Australia is at the top of the order, where McSweeney is making a firm case.
Marnus Labuschagne. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)
While McSweeney top-scored in both innings in Mackay after making 39 in his first outing, Sam Konstas (0 and 16), Marcus Harris (17 and 36) and Cameron Bancroft (0 and 16) all failed to impress.
In contrast, McSweeney has now made scores of 55, 127no, 37, 72, 36 and 88no to start the summer, along with 137 against Queensland in a 50-over game last week.
He brought up his 50 in the first over of Sunday morning, clipping Nitish Kumar off his toes to the mid-wicket boundary.
The right-hander also pulled Sai Sudharsan for three boundaries late, after his soft hands meant an earlier edge off the legspinner did not carry to first slip.
Australia A’s win came on a morning of drama in Mackay, with umpires accusing India A of scratching up the ball and placing wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan on report for dissent.
© AAP