Australia chairman of selectors George Bailey says Marcus Harris will open against England in the Ashes, Harris averages 23.77 from 10 Tests so far with a top-score of 79; Bailey says No 5 spot is still to be decided ahead of Ashes opener in Brisbane from December 8
Thursday 11 November 2021 14:07, UK
Australia batter Marcus Harris will open the batting with David Warner in the Ashes series against England, chairman of selectors George Bailey has said.
Harris was one of the front-runners for the role, alongside Queensland captain Usman Khawaja, with Will Pucovski likely to miss the first Test in Brisbane from December 8 as he battles concussion symptoms.
Bailey said of Harris on Australian radio station RSN: "Harry's had limited opportunities in the past and he's been in and out a bit.
"We'd love nothing more than for him hopefully to get an opportunity to get an extended run at it.
"What we have liked is his consistency. He's obviously been a prolific run scorer at domestic level here, but we also love the fact he went overseas and had a great year for Leicestershire as well."
Harris, 29, scored 655 runs at an average of 54.58 for Leicestershire in the LV= Insurance County Championship last summer and will play for Gloucestershire in that competition in 2022.
The left-hander averages 23.77 from 10 Tests for Australia so far with two half-centuries and a top-score of 79 against India in Sydney in 2019.
Bailey also said the No 5 spot in Australia's batting line-up was also up for grabs, a place Khawaja and Travis Head will hope to be in contention for.
