Cameron Bancroft, Sam Konstas, Marcus Harris, Nathan McSweeney in bat-off for Australia Test spot

All eyes are on Australia A’s clash with India A in McKay from Thursday and a good old-fashioned bat-off. Jackson Barrett has ranked and profiled the four batters, from most likely to least likely to earn a Test call-up.

1. MARCUS HARRIS

• Age: 32
• Tests: 14, last 2022
• Shield form: 143, 52, 26, 16

Pros

Of the players in the running, he is the most experienced at Test level and has faced the Indian attack starring Jasprit Bumrah before. And of him and Bancroft, his recent first-class form is significantly better, with 143 and a half-century — albeit on a flat wicket — at Junction Oval in the first game of the summer. It feels as if he has his nose in front of this race as it stands.

Cons

Harris has no hundreds to his name in 26 Test knocks and while he is renowned for turning starts into monster scores at first-class level, he hasn’t been able to do the same in internationals. There were opportunities to against a poor England attack in 2021 and he didn’t cash in. At 32, this certainly wouldn’t be a pick for the future.

2. SAM KONSTAS

• Age: 19
• Tests: yet to debut (six first-class matches)
• Shield form: 152, 105, 2, 43

Pros

Sam Konstas is the future, it’s just up to the selectors as to when they want him to arrive. A near-clone of Michael Clarke, Konstas is the new toy of Australian cricket and became the youngest player since Ricky Ponting to score tons in both innings of a shield match earlier this year. He is a lavish stroke-maker, but seems to have a bit between the ears as well.

Cons

Australia aren’t big on planning for the future when it comes to the Test side and it feels as if he is better slated to replace Usman Khawaja in the next 12 to 18 months. Back-to-back home summers against India and then England is the deep end of Test cricket and picking the teenager would carry some risk with those two series on the horizon. He was well worked over by the experienced Scott Boland in a match this month so needs to prove himself at the level above this week to be any chance.

3. CAM BANCROFT

• Age: 31
• Tests: 10, last 2019 (446 runs @ 26.23)
• Shield form: 0, 0, 8, 2

Pros

Bancroft has been the best domestic batter in the country for the past two seasons and is a specialist opener. This time last summer, this might have been a boat race. The 31-year-old has been there and done that and after a tumoltous cricketing life, has been hailed as one of the most resilient and determined men in cricket. Is expected to open against India A.

Cons

A horror run of form to start the Sheffield Shield season has left Bancroft back in the pack and he may be facing an uphill battle from here. The technical flaw where he finds himself off-balance and brings his front pad into play has never really been corrected, rather he’s found away to manage it, but those issues have been exposed again by good bowlers this month.

4. NATHAN McSWEENEY

• Age: 25
• Tests: yet to debut (32 first-class matches)
• Shield form: 55, 127*, 37, 72

Pros

McSweeney is already captain of South Australia and is highly-rated by Australia’s hierarchy. George Bailey brought his name up unprompted at a press conference already this summer, so he is on the radar. He is another that will play for Australia at some stage, it feels like a matter of when. The 25-year-old has an average of 37.25, which is impressive after a pretty slow start. His leadership and on-field nous is very highly-regarded and he will skipper Australia A this week.

Cons

Hasn’t opened the batting in first-class cricket yet, plying his trade mostly in the middle-order. Bailey ruled out Josh Inglis making that jump, but won’t put a line through McSweeney. It’s the major question mark hanging over a player who otherwise has made a strong start to the season.