Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting has thrown his support behind Australia’s existing top order—Sam Konstas, Usman Khawaja, and Cameron Green—for the upcoming Ashes series at home later this year.
Australia recently completed a 3-0 clean sweep over the West Indies, but despite the convincing scoreline, it was a challenging series for batters from both sides. While bowlers thrived, run-scoring proved difficult, with Australia’s top order coming under scrutiny from media and fans alike.
Following their defeat in the World Test Championship final, Australia opted to rest Marnus Labuschagne and provide an opportunity to the young Konstas. However, the newcomer struggled to make an impact.
Speaking on The ICC Review with Sanjana Ganesan, Ponting said, “The batters in question recently have been Sam Konstas and Usman Khawaja, with discussions also around whether Cameron Green is a long-term number three.”
Khawaja and Konstas failed to register a single half-century across their six combined innings, while Green managed just one fifty, which came in testing conditions during the final Test.
Despite the concerns, Ponting is backing the trio to open Australia’s Ashes campaign. “Green’s second innings in the last West Indies Test may have quietened some of the criticism. The conditions were extremely difficult, and the way he applied himself might have answered a few questions. I believe this will be the top order they go with to start the Ashes, and now it’s about hoping they can deliver early on.”
Earlier, Stuart Broad described the current Australian top order as the weakest he’s seen in years. With Australia unbeaten in Ashes series at home since 2010–11, the form of the top order batters could well be the deciding factor.
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