The three realistic options Aussie selectors must consider for vacant opening position

SEN Cricket’s Adam White thinks that Aussie selectors have three realistic options for the vacancy at the top of the Test order.

With Cameron Green out injured for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy and Steve Smith moving back to number four, the selectors are looking for a batter to partner Usman Khawaja at the top of the order.

Names like Marcus Harris, Cameron Bancroft and Sam Konstas have been named as standout opening options, but white thinks there’s another name the nation can look to.

While he has Harris as his pick of the openers, White thinks that the second-best option at the top could be New South Wales opener Nic Maddinson.

Maddinson, 32, opened alongside Harris for Victoria in recent campaigns but has since moved back to his home state.

White thinks that the left-hander fits the bill of the player selectors could be looking for.

“I think they've got three options,” White told SEN Sportsday.

“One is Marcus Harris I think or Nic Maddinson opening the batting.

“Marcus Harris is the one that's in good form to start this year, he’s been there before and proven he can score runs against India before.

“Then there’s Nic Maddinson because he fits the prototype in the sense that he can face fast bowling, and he can score quickly - which is one of the things that they were wanting.

“He's played for Australia before as well, and if you look at what he's done over a three-or-four-year period for Victoria, he's scored regular big runs at the Sheffield Shield level.”

The other more radical option that White thinks selectors must consider is having Marnus Labuschagne open, allowing Australia A captain Nathan McSweeney to slot in at number three.

White considers McSweeney the best batsman in Australia not currently a member of the Test side, with the main thing going against him that he doesn’t bat at the top of the order for his state.

“The other option is for Marnus Labuschagne to open the batting and for Nathan McSweeney to come in and bat at number three,” White said.

“I think he's the best player that’s a batsman not currently in the Australian team, but it would require a reshuffle of the order because we know that Steve Smith is going to bat at four and we know that Travis Head is going to bat at five.

“I think they are the three most realistic options at this point.

“But the selectors don't select the team today. They've still got the Australia A series to start … they can sort themselves out there, I’d pick whoever does well.

“If no one does do well, then you're looking at the body of work over a period of time. That's why I think they'll probably go back to Harris.”

Australia A takes on India A in a two-match series in the coming weeks with games taking place in Mackay and Melbourne.