NSW teenager Sam Konstas will get an early shot at pressing his case for a stunning Test debut as he prepares to open with Marcus Harris for Australia A.
Harris was expected to partner with Western Australian Cameron Bancroft ahead of the clash with India A in Mackay.
But when the teams were named on Thursday, Konstas was listed at the top of the order, with Bancroft next in.
Australia A captain Nathan McSweeney, who bats at No.3 for South Australia and is another contender to fill the Test opening void, is down to come in at No.4.
McSweeney won the toss but elected to send India A in to bat, with the tourists slumping to 4-76 at lunch.
Newly re-signed Australia coach Andrew McDonald played down the prospect the Australia A “bat-off” will completely decide who partners Usman Khawaja in the first Test against India in Perth next month.
“There’s a lot of context and consideration around body of work for those senior players in Marcus Harris and Cameron Bancroft,” McDonald said on Thursday.
“Clearly Sam Konstas hasn’t been able to have that body of work behind him because of the limited Shield cricket that he’s played, and Nathan McSweeney is somewhere in the middle of that.
“You take Sam for example, he’s had limited experience in Perth, and then obviously up to the Gabba, so there’s incredible challenges for players who haven’t played in those conditions before, but it’s not to say that he can’t do that either – he’s a fast learner.
“Marcus Harris – of course it’s not long ago (in December 2021) that he played a blinding innings out here (at the MCG) against England.”
South Australian quicks Jordan Buckingham and Brendan Doggett have impressed early against India, taking two wickets each.
