Jul 17th, 2019

Jul 17th, 2019

Australia could start the Ashes with Steve Smith as the only right-hander in its top six batsmen, former captain Mark Taylor believes.

And 'Tubby' says that Australian selectors may discuss a succession plan for skipper Tim Paine after the campaign in England, with World Cup star Alex Carey cementing himself as the future Test wicketkeeper.

Taylor forecast an Ashes team without an all-rounder in a discussion with Wide World of Sports, after Marcus Stoinis and Glenn Maxwell failed to mount a case during the World Cup.

Returned batting superstars David Warner and Steve Smith are locked in, as is Usman Khawaja if he recovers from a hamstring injury.

Taylor said that Marcus Harris should be Warner's opening partner and tipped fellow lefties Travis Head and Kurtis Patterson to bat No.5 and No.6.

The iconic former captain also believes that five fast bowlers - Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, James Pattinson and Peter Siddle - are in serious contention to play.

Here are Taylor's break-downs of the major components of the Australian side ahead of the Ashes opener, starting August 1 at Edgbaston.

Australian Test captain Tim Paine. (Getty)

THE CAPTAIN/WICKETKEEPER

Paine, 34, will be the Ashes skipper and gloveman. He's been indispensable as a leader in the wake of the ball tampering scandal and has capably filled his role as a keeper/batsman.

Yet Taylor sees a potentially transformative player in Carey, 27; someone who could bat in the middle-order, allowing the side to play an extra bowler. His first-class batting average of 29.43 doesn't yet support that argument, but Carey clearly possesses talent. He made 375 runs at 62.50 from nine World Cup innings, striking at 104.16 as he notched three half-centuries and trailed only Warner in Australia's batting averages.

The likes of former England captain Michael Vaughan are already clamouring for Carey to win a Test debut, so Paine will need to maintain his high standards this Ashes.

The captain made a duck and 38 in the ongoing Australia A tour game against England Lions. He boasts a respectable 35.14 Test batting average, but hasn't made a century from 21 matches. Carey has already taken Paine's spot as Australian limited-overs keeper thanks to his superior batting.

"Tim Paine will play, and should play," Taylor said.

"But someone like Carey, I think he looks to be a very technically-sound batsman. He might be someone in the future who could demand selection as a batsman, but also keep for you.

"In a way, he's a bit like an Adam Gilchrist; but not the explosive [style of] Adam Gilchrist. He looked to me like he could be a genuine batsman who plays with very orthodox technique and, as he did in the World Cup, makes runs in a very orthodox manner.

"If he can do that and bat at five or six, then you've got the option of playing five bowlers.

Alex Carey during Australia's World Cup semi-final. (PA)

"I think the selectors will have that [Paine vs Carey] discussion post the Ashes.

"There's always moments in time in the cricket calendar where you can have those discussion about, 'Where are we at and what does the future look like?' Particularly at the end of a World Cup and the end of an Ashes series, you've got time then to say, 'Where do we want to be in two years' time? Where do we want our one-day side to be and what does it look like, and same with our Test team?'"

The captaincy complicates the Paine-Carey debate. Steve Smith isn't yet eligible to return as captain and there are no other obvious candidates in the Test line-up, should selectors wish to replace Paine with Carey.

"That's obviously part of the discussions, but there's no such thing as a perfect time to have these discussions. They're just ongoing," Taylor said.

"I'm not for a minute writing Tim Paine off at this stage. He may well come out and have a terrific Ashes series, Australia win the series and he contributes at times with the bat and keeps well. Then, all of a sudden, the discussion's very different.

"I think the selectors need to be very open to those discussions at the end of the Ashes."

If Carey replaced Paine, it would also mean another left-hander in the lefty-heavy Australian batting order.

Tim Paine during last Test summer. (AAP)

THE BATSMEN

Warner and Smith are locks, with the world-class veterans to play their first Tests since the Cape Town scandal.

Khawaja made a century in the last Test of the home summer, barely salvaging a disappointing campaign in which he was expected to step up with Warner and Smith missing. His sparkling ODI form this year has cemented his Australian spot, barring injury, though he is yet to become a dominant Test batsman; with a record of 41 matches for 2,765 runs at 42.53, with eight centuries.

Beyond the three veterans, there are no certainties. Yet the likelihood is that there will be plenty of left-handers.

"It's strange for me to say we've almost got too many, because I've always liked the left-handers, as you can imagine," said Taylor, a left-handed opener who made 7,525 runs in 104 Tests for Australia.

"We've got Harris, who I think will play and should play at the top of the order. We've got Harris and Warner. If Khawaja's available, he's three. You've got Smith at No.4, so there's one right-hander and he may be the only one."

Steve Smith after reaching 50 against West Indies. (AAP)

Right-handed Test incumbent Marnus Labuschagne has made five first-class centuries for Glamorgan and has taken wickets bowling leg-spin for Australia. But he hasn't yet made a Test century and Taylor is a little wary of his recent form line.

"The only problem with that is, playing county cricket, particularly around World Cup time, is a different standard to playing a Test match," Taylor said.

"Or, as we saw with Peter Handscomb in the World Cup semi, it's a bit different coming off a county match where a county may or may not pick their best side, then you're rushed into an international match. It's another step up. You've got to put all those runs and wickets into perspective at times.

"If [Labuschagne] can land them [bowling] and get you 10 overs, he may be handy at six as a batting all-rounder. That's really what Australia have been crying out for. Whether it's a medium-pacer like Mitchell Marsh or whether it's a part-time leg-spinner like Labuschagne, that certainly is an option for the selectors."

Marnus Labuschagne (R) can also bowl leg-spin. (AP)

Joe Burns made 180 opening the batting in Australia's last Test and has previously batted in the Aussie middle order. Taylor suggested that either Harris or Burns could bat at No.3 if Khawaja was ruled out.

"Or [Burns] might be another option later in the order," Taylor said.

"It is often nice to break up that all-lefties, all-righties. Normally you have a problem with breaking up all your right-handers, but Australia have the other problem at the moment; an abundance of left-handers and only a few right-handers."

Test incumbent Head just made 139 not out against England Lions. Head (161) and Patterson (114*) both made centuries in Australia's last Test, against Sri Lanka in Canberra. They are Taylor's picks for the Ashes opener and the challenge for them is to prove themselves genuine international batsmen.

Travis Head hits out during his century for Australia A against England Lions. (Getty)

"Every series provides an opportunity for someone to be that next person," Taylor said.

"It might be a Kurtis Patterson. It might be a Travis Head. It might be a Labuschagne.

"Now is the time for one of those guys to have a really good series and say, 'By the way, I'm not just a guy you put in when you're short of players. I want to be penned in at No.5 or I want to be penned in at No.3. I want that spot to be mine for the next decade'."

Australia has an intra-squad match coming up that could prove crucial. Prodigy Will Pucovski will aim to make runs, though he's slipped down the list after almost winning a Test debut last summer, while Matthew Wade will look to build on a run of form that may become irresistible.

The former Test wicketkeeper, 31, has hit three centuries for Australia A in England; two in one-day cricket and the latest (114) against England Lions. He also enjoyed a bumper Sheffield Shield season and should at least be in the running due to his value as a back-up keeping option.

Matthew Wade celebrates his century for Australia A against England Lions. (Getty)

THE BOWLERS

Mitchell Starc just streeted the field for most wickets at the World Cup, taking 27 from 10 matches to break Glenn McGrath's tournament record, yet he has been a mixed bag in Ashes series.

Australia's pace stocks are deep, though the form of its other two Test incumbents - Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, with the latter coming off an injury - isn't quite as hoped.

"Patty Cummins was actually a little bit quiet in the second half of the World Cup, so it would be nice to see him bowling well," Taylor said.

"Josh Hazlewood's not taking a lot of wickets at the moment. James Pattinson seems to be taking wickets. I saw a little bit of the Shield final and there's no doubt that Pattinson and Peter Siddle bowled pretty well in tandem. There might be a school of thought that we have to look at those two, for someone to give us some control and bowl that good, consistent line and length on or about off stump."

Pat Cummins bowls in Australia's World Cup opener. (PA AAP)

Pattinson, 29, hasn't played a Test in more than three years due to persistent injuries but has been touted for an Ashes role. It may be that he plays a Test or two; Taylor named Third test venue Leeds as a pace-friendly pitch that may suit him.

Taylor said that Hazlewood, Cummins and Pattinson were fairly interchangeable, dependent on form and fitness. Starc is the wicket-taking spearhead, while Siddle could offer a steady hand.

"He'll be going for four an over, probably, and that's all right if he's picking up wickets and you've got some control at the other end," Taylor said.

"What Australia have had trouble with in the past over there, bowling-wise, is that they've had two bowlers going to together who are both going for five an over. They had the problem with [Mitchell] Johnson and Starc last time around, where if they weren't bowling well, they were bowling 10-12 runs every two overs.

"It's hard to captain that. If you're going to have Starc, who's going to be not a genuine control bowler but a wicket-taker - which you need - you've got to have some control at the other end. Australian will be looking to find that balance between out-and-out aggression and control in the game.

"That's where if Hazlewood's not going well, you might have a Siddle. That's where he's done a job in the past."

James Pattinson helped Victoria to Sheffield Shield glory this season. (AAP)

THE ALL-ROUNDERS

Australia is back to square one with its cricketing obsession.

After Mitchell Marsh was dropped from the Test team again last summer, Maxwell and Stoinis had poor World Cups. Maxwell needed to do something extraordinary to stake an Ashes claim, but there was serious buzz about Stoinis from the likes of Shane Warne; which rapidly feel away amid injury niggles and lean returns.

There is a precious little part-time bowling in the Australian team, which perhaps opens the door slightly for Labuschagne if he keeps making runs.

Marcus Stoinis faded as an Ashes contender at the World Cup. (PA AAP)

"Once again, it seems to be an ongoing discussion that we have; our search for this all-rounder," Taylor said.

"If you look back in recent history, we haven't always had one or needed one to be successful. If you look back to the late 90s, early 2000s, Steve and Mark Waugh were loosely all-rounders, particularly Steve.

"Predominantly batsmen; very good bastmen who made the side as batsmen. But they could also bowl you 10-15 overs if need be.

"That's really what Australia have been crying out for, someone who can do that. Who demands selection in the top six as a bastman, but also be a handy medium-pacer; or maybe a Labuschagne, who can bowl you 10-15 overs of spin if they're coming out well and the conditions warrant it."

MARK TAYLOR'S ASHES FIRST TEST TEAM

David Warner, Marcus Harris, Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Kurtis Patterson, Tim Paine (c), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.