Matthew Wade will find himself an incumbent opener before he knows it: Allan Border

The Australian cricket team has looked dead and buried in the ongoing Test at Melbourne Cricket Ground against the fierce Indian bowling attack thus far. While they were bundled out for a paltry total of 195 in their first innings, the hosts are reeling at 133 for 6 in their second innings with the all-rounder Cameron Green and pacer Pat Cummins in the middle.

Australia is missing the services of their aggressive opening batsman David Warner as he is suffering from a groin injury. Thus, Matthew Wade was promoted from the middle-order to the top of the line-up. There are chances that he won’t be opening the innings for the hosts once Warner is back into the attack, however, former Australian captain Allan Border wants Wade to continue as an opener.

The 65-year-old believes that Matthew has shown a lot of promise while opening the innings for the team and should be named as an incumbent opener. However, Border wants Australia to drop their opening batsman Joe Burns, who is suffering from a poor run with the willow, and replace him with Marcus Harris or David Warner.

“He (Matthew Wade) has built up a lot of bonus points in my mind in terms of going forward. He’ll find himself an incumbent opener before he knows it. At the moment, all of the (contenders) are in hibernation because you aren’t going to pick someone out of Big Bash, I wouldn’t have thought. Marcus Harris or David Warner comes in (for Burns),” Allan Border told Fox Sports.

Joe Burns could go back in Shield cricket and start making runs: Allan Border

The former Australian captain is of the view that Joe Burns isn’t playing the next Test against India as he failed to impress the management and the captain. Burns wasn’t at his fluent best with the willow ahead of the Test series against India, however, the selectors showed faith in him and asked him to open the innings for them.

Though he scored a half-century at Adelaide Test, the batsman again flattened at MCG as could only manage scores of 0 and 4 across two innings. Thus, Allan Border wants Joe Burns to go back to the domestic circuit and make his way again to the national squad by scoring plenty of runs.

“He’s (Joe Burns) just back to the drawing board. I can’t see him playing in the next Test. He could go back in the middle order if required, in Shield cricket and start making runs — he could get back into the side, but I’m feeling his pain because he’s getting a lot of good balls. If you go through his dismissals there would be a lot of good balls in there,” Allan Border asserted.