The modern day Test cricket has taken a different turn. Most teams have looked to score quickly, England’s Bazball has a lot to take the blame or the credit for that. Then, the spicy pitches and the white-ball, especially T20 habits have taken over. On tough tracks, run-scoring has often trumped the need to stay and survive sessions before Test cricket. Australia haven’t found themselves untouched by the plague of sub-standard openers who lack the ability to dig in their heels and score big. Instead, they have looked for quick fixes, run out of patience with a few and made a surprise call too, the most recent one being the recall of Nic Maddinson.
Maddinson’s story is heartwarming. The return to the field after surviving testicular cancer has been the story to read. Despite criticism from Australian greats who were all about dominating the opposition and belong to country’s golden era of Test cricket, Maddinson was backed by teammates, selectors to shake off the rustiness and show his true colours in red-ball cricket. But, the moving red-ball and the test of patience it offers rarely gives anyone an easy day out.
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Maddinson’s first Test innings in 10 years was a sore sight to the eyes expecting pleasant stroke-making. He struggled, hesitated, the intent to attack wasn’t there. Even in the absence of Kagiso Rabada who dismissed him for a 12-ball duck on Test debut in Adelaide, he just couldn’t catch a break and run towards the other end after touching the ball with bat. Stars were initially in his favour as skipper Temba Bavuma did not opt for a review for a lbw decision which did not go in Proteas’ favour. The pressure finally caught up with the opener and went for a get-out-of-jail cut shot only to drag it back to his stumps, trudging his way back to the dressing room for a 33-ball duck, the longest duck by an Australian opener (since ball-by-ball data is available).
While Maddinson has got another chance to prove himself in the Durban Test, the selectors may run short of patience if he does not get some runs under his belt. And hence, the revolving door of Test openers in Australian cricket is likely to continue.
Going back a couple of decades, Australia had several players who were prolific run-scorers in domestic cricket. The competition was such that they couldn’t find a way into the team. Michael Hussey is one example. He had to wait for a long time to make his Test debut. For someone who went on to get nicknamed as Mr. Cricket, it is a long time waiting for the baggy green. That’s the reason why players like Hayden are infuriated when they see batters with low averages making it to the Test side.
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Openers who became open and shut case
The selectors have not had it easy though. A couple of years ago, there were calls to drop the ageing openers David Warner and Usman Khawaja. After struggling in the Ashes 2023, often falling to his nemesis Stuart Broad, Warner eventually played his last Test against Pakistan in January 2024.
No long rope for opener Smith
Following Warner’s retirement, there was an experiment. Steve Smith wanted to open in Tests and he did. In eight innings including two Tests each against West Indies and New Zealand, selectors' patience ran out. At that time, even his teammates laughed at the idea of Smith leaving his designated position to open. Australia's modern-day great managed 171 runs from eight innings at an average of 28.5 including an unbeaten 91-run knock against West Indies at The Gabba in a losing cause.
McSweeney fails India challenge
After Smith, Nathan McSweeney got his maiden Test call-up for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. As he got ready for his Test debut, there were calls to bring teenager Sam Konstas in the team. Konstas had even scored a ton in the pink-ball warm-up match against India at Manuka Oval, Canberra. McSweeney did himself no favour and managed just 72 runs from six innings. He was dropped and replaced by Konstas. The repercussions of those three Tests still stay with McSweeney. Currently, he is playing for Australia A tour on India A tour. He did not do well in the two red-ball games but scored a gritty ton in One-Day series opener.
Konstas, the one-inning wonder
The young Konstas was like a breath of fresh air in Australia’s experienced squads. He made an impactful Test debut against India, taking on their bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah. His ramp shots, attacking display made the MCG crowd roar in delight. Then, Virat Kohli shoulder-barged him and he became a household name. But, the slam-bang approach was not sustainable. He did not get a chance in Sri Lanka as Head opened with Khawaja in testing spin-friendly conditions. The Caribbean tour turned out to be a nightmare for him with just 50 runs from six innings including two second inning-ducks. The T20-like approach to Test cricket was not the need of the hour and he did not make it to the Ashes squad at home. Overall, Konstas has 163 runs as Australian opener in 10 innings. He is part of Australia A’s India A tour as well alongside McSweeney.
Determined Weatherald runs out of chances
The selectors then turned towards Jake Weatherald who had been playing well in first-class cricket. Weatherald approached Test cricket in all seriousness. He opted not to sign up for the Big Bash League (BBL) 2025-26. On Test debut, he bagged a duck in Perth. His maiden Test half-century came at The Gabba. But, he couldn't get a single half-century in the remaining three Ashes Test. Despite the Ashes setback, he believed selectors will persist with him. He was already preparing for the Border Gavaskar Trophy next year on Indian soil. But, a 23-run knock and a duck against Bangladesh in Darwin Test turned out to be the last nail in the coffin, at least for now. He became the only casualty of the historic Test defeat to Bangladesh and was surprised by selectors’ ruthless call. He is not even a part of Australia A’s squad currently.
More calls that frustrated Australian greats
Meanwhile, Khawaja had retired from Test cricket. In the Perth Test, Khawaja had a back spasm which led to Head opening and playing a blinder of a knock. Head expressed his wish to continue opening and got the nod. He has scored 785 runs from 17 innings including three tons and one fifty. His strike rate of 87.19 has been menacing. During this period Marnus Labuschagne opened the innings too but that experiment lasted just three innings. Labuschagne’s position continues to be in doubt too as a Test ton has evaded him since Manchester Test in 2023.
After Weatherald’s exit, Renshaw got the recall. He had been playing white-ball cricket for Australia since last year on comeback. Renshaw registered a single-digit score in the second Test against Bangladesh. After a sample size as small as one inning, the team management pushed him to the middle order and gave Maddinson a chance which didn’t work out on the opening day of Test series against the reigning WTC champions.
Who's the next temporary opener?
The answer to this question can be unpredictable. Chief selector Bailey has tried the exuberance of youth and the experienced campaigners. Also, the pool of players isn't large. In the previous Sheffield Shield season, none of the batters with 500 or more runs averaged over 50.
While the search continues, there is a famous Ricky Ponting quote that Bailey can go back to: “If you were averaging 35 when I was playing, your dad would go and buy you a basketball or a footy and tell you to play that.”
The above quote is from 2011 which still holds relevance as the returns with bat continue to diminish.