Australia batsman Marcus Harris will open the batting with David Warner in the Ashes series against England, chairman of selectors George Bailey said.
Harris was one of the front-runners for the role alongside Queensland captain Usman Khawaja, with Will Pucovski likely to miss the first Test as he battles concussion symptoms.
Bailey heaped praise on the 29-year-old Harris, who scored a century for Victoria against New South Wales at the start of the Sheffield Shield season. “Harry’s had limited opportunities in the past and he’s been in and out a bit, so we’d love nothing more than for him hopefully to get an opportunity to get an extended run at it,” Bailey told radio RSN on Wednesday.
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“What we have liked is his consistency. He’s obviously been a prolific run scorer at domestic level here, but we also love the fact he went overseas and had a great year for Leicester (Leicestershire County) as well.”
Bailey said the No. 5 spot in Australia’s batting line-up was also up for grabs. “That No. 5 spot is open, but we’re starting to get fairly close there,” he said.
The five-Test Ashes is due to begin on December 8 in Brisbane. Australia retained the Ashes when the teams last met in 2019 in England after a 2-2 series draw.
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