Former Australia Test captain Michael Clarke on Tuesday questioned national selectors’ decision to pick Marcus Harris for Australia’s Test tour of Pakistan in March after the opener was dropped during this summer’s Ashes series.
According to Fox Cricket, the selectors’ pa-tience with Harris finally ran out this summer as the “opener was axed” for the Hobart Test after averag-ing 25.29 from 14 matches. However, the cricket board chose him for Aus-tralia’s 18-man squad to tour Pakistan next month as back-up for David Warner and the man who re-placed him, Usman Khawaja.
Clarke voiced his concern hours before the squad announcement, when it was reported Harris would tour. “Where is he going to bat?” Clarke said on Big Sports Breakfast. “You’re not going to open with him. Khawaja is going to.
“You’re only going to take one spare batsman. You’re not going to take an opening batter as your spare batter, that makes no sense to me at all.” Clarke was of the view that Khawaja’s versatil-ity to bat anywhere inside the top six means selec-tors may view the left-hander as their main form of cover.—APP
