1/ While we were adjudicating on the Great Australian Bat Off on the pod on Monday, Pete asked without notice the top three I’d prefer for Perth, as I still don’t fancy Cameron Green at first-wicket down. I idly suggested Marnus Labuschagne to open, which David Warner always thought he would, and repeated a preference for Steve Smith to bat at number three, which I’ve harboured for years. I’m old enough to remember his hundreds in that position ten years ago; I always remember that his average in the slot is 67; I’ve also always been resigned to it never happening, but it seems to me to solve a few problems: Green seems a natural number four; Head can’t realistically bat higher than five; Webster has earned his corn at number six.
2/ To my surprise and alarm, however, the selectors may be of a mind. Because the only thing worse than selectors not doing what you think they should is the opposite - with the chance, of course, you’ll be proved wrong. The panel has been pretty indulgent of Smith over the journey, even to the extent of condoning his brainstorm of opening the batting. Let’s see if they’re ready to challenge his more recent idee fixe, which appears to be: ‘I am happy to bat wherever the team wants me to bat at number four.’
3/ Round one of the Bat Off, meanwhile, saw Labuschagne advance, albeit on a pancake pitch at Allan Border Field, Konstas and Patterson regress, albeit in a general batting rout at the WACA. Jake Weatherald and Olly Peake took advantage of early chances to post good runs; Marcus Harris wasted a start with a lumbering run out in the first innings and a firm-footed push in the second, while Nathan McSweeney was also out for spit. Matthew Renshaw obtained the biggest boost of all, vaulting from a first-up hundred in Brisbane into the Australian ODI squad for the series against India starting in Perth on Sunday week. Renshaw finished last season listlessly but wintered well, piling 248 runs in three hits for Australia A in the tri-series in Darwin against Sri Lanka A. For him, this is quite the season. He turns thirty in March, and would do well to heed the admonition not to be promising forever.
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