Pat Cummins comforts Bancroft, Harris amidst Test snub assuring ongoing consideration

In a bid to reassure Cameron Bancroft and Marcus Harris, Australian skipper Pat Cummins reached out to the overlooked openers, emphasising their continued consideration for Test selection post David Warner's retirement. Despite stellar performances, Bancroft, the leading run-scorer in the previous Sheffield Shield season, and Harris, a contracted player and reserve batter in the Ashes tour, found themselves sidelined from the upcoming West Indies assignment.

With Steven Smith elevated to the opening slot and Cameron Green returning to No. 4 against West Indies in Adelaide, the competition remains fierce. Matt Renshaw has been selected as the backup batter, leaving Bancroft and Harris on the fringes despite their cricketing prowess.

“Obviously private phone calls, but no real surprises. We love what they both are doing in first-class cricket. We love what they bring to any side they're playing in. They're doing all the right things. Unfortunately, they both just missed out on this one. So [the] message was 'don't change',” Cummins was saying as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

“In international cricket, there's always injuries or these guys [the incumbents] aren't going to be around forever. Marcus and Cam are still relatively young, as is Renners (Renshaw). So once that opening comes up at some point, any one of them we're confident can jump straight in and do a really good job,” he added. 

I've never seen Smith as happy and as energetic: Pat Cummins

Following the Sydney Test, Cummins initially showed reluctance toward restructuring the batting order after David Warner's retirement. However, he has now acknowledged the logical choice of promoting Steven Smith, that has allowed Cameron Green to return to a more fitting position. Smith, who had expressed discomfort at No. 4, saw this move as a long-term commitment rather than a short-term fix. Cummins, observing the impact during training, noted a positive shift.

“I've never seen him as happy and as energetic as I've seen him around the nets the last couple of days. He can't wait to get out there. Also think the new ball, maybe [there will be] a few more scoring options. It's something that excites him. So that makes sense and getting Greeny a spot where we think he is set up to succeed,” he concluded.