An all-important Ashes series down under is a month away and one of Australia's biggest worries is the uncertainty around the opening batting pair.
Over the past 12 months, the Pat Cummins-led side has experimented with four different opening partners alongside Usman Khawaja, and none of them have managed to cement their position at the top of the order.
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Moreover, even Khawaja has only scored 602 runs at an average of 31.68 -- 232 of the 602 runs came in a single innings at Galle.
Former Australian all-rounder Brendon Julian has now pointed out about Khawaja's worrying form and raised doubts about whether the Aussie opener will be dropped by the end of the Ashes series.
What did Brendon Julian say about Usman Khawaja?
Heading into the Ashes, Khawaja, who will be 39 in December, has so far scored 69 and 46 in two innings of the ongoing Sheffield Shield. He has looked in rhythm, but the main challenge will be to reverse his slump in international cricket.
However, in a conversation with Mark Howard on Fox Sports, Julian shared his concerns on how the opener would fare against the quality of England's bowling attack.
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"I think Khawaja definitely [will open] I think Jake Wither's pretty close as well. So, I like him. They want I think they want to be aggressive at the top of the order. So, I don't see Marcus Harris or someone like that coming into the side. I think Marnus could open but I love him at three," Julian said.
"The thing is, I am worried about Usman — if his form is not quite good going into the first Test. I don't know if he'll get through five Tests. They could be looking for two openers by the end of the series," he added.
What are Australia's opening options during Ashes 2025?
Apart from Marnus Labuschagne, who would be in contention to return to number 3, Australia boasts options in Sam Konstas and Nathan McSweeney, among others, who could be in the race for the opening positions.
Below is the list of potential options ahead of Australia's Ashes squad announcement:
- Usman Khawaja
- Marnus Labuschagne
- Sam Konstas
- Nathan McSweeney
- Jake Weatherald
- Cameron Bancroft
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