New Delhi, Sep 22
Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has backed teen opener Sam Konstas to retain his place at the top of the order alongside Usman Khawaja for the all-important Ashes series, starting on November 21 in Perth.
Konstas struck a composed 109 and an unbeaten 27 in the first multi-day game against India A in Lucknow. The main point of contention for Australia has been whether the selectors would persist with Konstas or recall Marnus Labuschagne to the top six.
Ponting, however, made his preference clear, without making any mention of Labuschagne. "Everyone's been talking about how crucial these first four Sheffield Shield games are, particularly for some of our top order batters, and I agree with that. But I also feel that it's probably got almost to the point where it's too late to be making too many big wholesale changes to the current team going into an Ashes series. Konstas has obviously just done well. He made a hundred for Australia A over in India, which is exactly what he needed.
"So, I can see our top order being Konstas and Khawaja. I think the fact that they've moved Green up to number three in the Caribbean probably suggests to me that they see him as that long-term number three. Smith will stay at four, Head at five, and then I would keep Beau at number six. I can't see how they could leave Beau out of the side and keep some of the other guys in. That's the way that I'm sort of looking at it," said Ponting on SEN Radio.
He also urged Australia to consider moving vice-captain Travis Head to number three with an aim to put pressure on England in the Ashes, a move which will allow all-rounders Green and Webster to bat at five and six respectively.
"The other thing I thought they could do if they were worried about that (Green’s role) at all – and with our current openers who are probably not the fastest scorers (is move Travis Head up). Head is the second most established player in that (batting) lineup, probably behind Steve Smith, and the natural progression for players of that sort of age.
"You usually come into the side as a number five or six player, and eventually you'd work your way up and find yourself in a number three slot. So they could think about doing that with Travis Head, they could move him up to No.3.
"The way England play their cricket, to have someone like Travis Head coming in at No.3 and be able to put some pressure back on the likes of Jofra Archer and Mark Wood and these guys - that’s another way they could look at it if they really want to get on the front foot and try and dominate England through this Ashes summer," added Ponting.
Ponting further identified England’s number three batter Ollie Pope as the biggest question mark in the side led by Ben Stokes, while also expressing concern over the fitness of the skipper himself, who is recuperation from a right shoulder injury sustained after the drawn fourth Test against India at Manchester in July.
"The difference with the two teams is you can probably pick England’s team right now and you probably can’t pick ours. There’s only one chink in their armour, and that’s Ollie Pope at No.3. They’ve got young Jacob Bethell who has batted at three for them in the past, that’s one change they could make.
"Ben Stokes is the pivotal one for me, if he’s fit and bowling like I saw him bowling against India, then their whole side looks completely different. He’s probably their best bowler to be honest, he’s got his pace back, he’s fitter than he’s been.
"He’s given up the drink, and he’s really focused on being a long-term all-rounder for England, for as long as he can. If Stokes is fit, if Wood and Archer are, in fact, fit, they will have a really strong attack that will definitely be causing the Aussies a few nervous moments," he concluded.
