5 players who can make it to the Australian Test side

Australian Test team continued its slump into the ICC rankings. They slipped to the fifth position after a 1-0 series defeat to Pakistan recently in the United Arab Emirates. The result would’ve been worse if not for their heroic effort to play out 140 overs in the series opener. Their biggest disappointment has been their batting, especially the middle order, which has collapsed far too often in a dramatic fashion. With their batting titans Steve Smith and David Warner set to miss out the cricketing action at least for a span of six more months, Australia faces a daunting task to avoid a series defeat in their home soil against India in December and against Sri Lanka in late January. We take a look at some of the players who can be thrown into the mix to bolster the middle-order ahead of their home season: 1. Matt Renshaw Matt Renshaw. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images) In the absence of Usman Khawaja, who may undergo surgery owing to a meniscal tear, Matt Renshaw remains the front-runner to open the innings along with Aaron Finch. Matt Renshaw made his debut in November 2016 and since then has found himself in and out of the side. He was nothing less than impressive in India last year. His sound technique against spin made sure that the bowlers had to earn his wicket everytime the left-hander came out to bat. The series against India and Sri Lanka could be Renshaw’s breakthrough series as an opening batsman and his best chance to seal a spot at the top of the order. In 11 tests, he has mustered 636 runs at a decent average of 33.47 with a solitary century and three half-centuries. 2. George Bailey George Bailey. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images) George Bailey was one of the cool and calm customers in the Australian camp. He was catapulted as the captain of the Australian T20 side in his debut, already being one of the most respected state skippers. While his contribution to Test cricket may have been very minimal, Bailey shone the brightest in the one-day side and was ranked No.2 in the format at his peak. The 36-year-old can be someone who can be reinstated back to the Test team to occupy the No. 3 position to replace the underperforming Shaun Marsh who had a torrid Pakistan series. Bailey can provide the much-required stability and certainly possesses the temperament to play a lengthy innings, having played over 100 first-class matches. 3. Peter Handscomb Peter Handscomb of Australia. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images) Peter Handscomb is yet another promising batsman who was selected to play against Pakistan in the UAE but couldn’t get a single game. He made his debut along with Matt Renshaw in November 2016 against South Africa. Handscomb made a splendid start to his Test career, scoring 399 runs at an average of 99.75 in four tests of the home summer. Post that period, he suffered a relatively lean run, however, making vital contributions in a win against Bangladesh and a match-saving innings in the third Test against India in 2017. Peter Handscomb’s experience in first-class cricket makes him a strong contender to be accommodated in the middle-order to get some valuable runs. 4. Callum Ferguson Callum Ferguson. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images) Callum Ferguson had an unmatched class in him as a batsman which made him qualified enough to be selected into the one-day side. In spite of his impressive form in ODIs, he was ruled out of the ICC Champions Trophy, owing to a knee injury which kept him out of action for a span of eleven months and subsequently, he fell out of the radar. At the age of 32, he got a call-up to the Test squad only to fail miserably scoring only four runs in the only game he played and got dropped eventually. With a brittle Australian middle-order in place, Ferguson’s call-up seems inevitable, given his impressive 2017-18 Sheffield Shield season and his ample first-class experience. 5. Glenn Maxwell Glenn Maxwell. (Photo Source: Twitter) The most surprising omission of the lot from the Test squad to face Pakistan was of Glenn Maxwell. Maxwell is not only known as the limited-overs specialist for Australia but has found to be slightly reckless with his batting on many occasions. It still doesn’t take away the fact that his run in the 2017/18 Sheffield Shield season had been phenomenal, amassing more than 700 runs at an average of 50. Add to the fact that he has a phenomenal century in whites in Ranchi in testing conditions. A dynamic batsman and an extremely skilled fieldsman who could chip in with some valuable overs, Maxwell is capable of turning the tables on the opposition in a dime, batting at No. 6. ~Written by Aayushmaan Vishwanathan

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5 players who can make it to the Australian Test side

These five players could play a crucial role in reinstating Australia's Test credentials

5. Glenn Maxwell

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