The tough moment approaches for Australia as the selectors try to put the Ashes puzzle pieces together | Martin Pegan

TThe Great Australian Bat Off is back for a brand new season with fresh faces and forgotten favorites looking to join the cast for the Ashes series opener. In a major subplot, captain Pat Cummins will officially leave the first Test and will almost certainly be replaced by substitute Scott Boland, while the final auditions to claim a place in the squad will take place during the Sheffield Shield matches starting on Tuesday, as well as the T20 series against India.

The main storyline will be familiar to die-hard fans as the Australian selectors largely repeat last year’s search for an opener for partner Usman Khawaja. But the return to form of Marnus Labuschagne, and injury problems for Cameron Green and Beau Webster, are plot twists that have created more uncertainty over which six batters will be included for the Perth Test.

Green was withdrawn from the ODI series against India due to side soreness from what chairman of selectors George Bailey said was a “conservative” call, but doubts remain over his ability to bowl early in the Ashes. The 26-year-old has bowled four overs in a league match this year – taking 1-13 for Western Australia in a Sheffield Shield match earlier this month – and is not expected to throw the ball when he returns to South Australia on Tuesday. Green has averaged 23.5 while at No. 3 in Australia’s past four Tests, but a strong finish in the West Indies Series could be enough for him to continue in this role, especially if he is not ready to play as a true all-rounder.

Webster has also had an interrupted run-in to the summer after rolling his ankle, but has credits in the bank from a promising start to his Test career with four half-centuries. Concerns about Green’s bowling could work in Webster’s favor as his medium pace – or off-spin – is a valuable addition to an attack already lacking its leader. The 31-year-old is playing for Tasmania against Victoria this week and simply needs to get through the four-day match unscathed to be included in the Test squad, although his place in the XI is threatened by the likely return of Labuschagne.

With Steve Smith captaining the side at number 4, Travis Head a lock in the middle order and Khawaja bringing continuity as an opener even amid signs of decline, the selectors have enough pieces to complete their batting puzzle. But how they all fit together – and whether some pieces might be forced into unfamiliar positions – could be decided this week.

With Australia’s first Ashes squad expected to be named at the end of this Sheffield Shield round, we look at the batters pushing for a place in the XI to take on England in Perth.

Konstas himself

Test record: 5 matches, 163 runs, 0 centuries, average 16.30
First-class record: 24 matches, 1,321 runs, 3 centuries, average 31.45

Australia have tried and tested four batters – Nathan McSweeney, Konstas, Head and Labuschagne – to open alongside Khawaja over the past year, with each of them failing to capitalize on the opportunity to make the spot their own. Konstas came closest with a famously dazzling debut against India in the Boxing Day Test before falling out of favor during the Sri Lanka tour and the winner-take-all World Test Championship final.

The 20-year-old is still seen as someone for the long haul – and is again the incumbent after being recalled for three Tests in the Caribbean – although his paltry returns against the West Indies and lack of runs to start the Australian summer have pushed him back down the pecking order. In Konstas’ favor, he is making his way as a specialist opener and has already experienced the pressure cooker of two Tests against India, although he is yet to prove he has the temperament and batting pace to handle the heat of an Ashes series.

Marnus Labuschagne

Test record: 58 games, 4,435 runs, 11 centuries, average 46.19
First-class record: 168 matches, 12,260 runs, 34 centuries, average 45.07

The former No. 1-ranked Test batsman’s spectacular start to the summer, with four centuries in five matches, has already earned him a recall to the ODI squad and provides a strong case for his speedy return to the Test team. The best solution for Australia would be to reward Labuschagne for his re-emergence with another opening opportunity, while Green, Smith, Head and Webster continue to bat at three to six.

The 31-year-old opened in his most recent Test – the WTC final – but after making little impact with the bat in the defeat to South Africa, and just a century since a purple patch in 2022, he was dropped for the recent West Indies tour. His two innings at Lord’s in June were the only times Labuschagne opened in a Test, while he was a mainstay at No. 3 for more than five years and continues to bat there for Queensland. He would certainly prefer to return to the Test team on the more high-profile first drop, but with uncertainty over whether Green can be trusted as an all-rounder batting as low as No. 6, Labuschagne may have to return through the back door alongside Khawaja.

Jake Weatherald

Test record: Has yet to debut
First-class record: 75 games, 5,257 runs, 13 centuries, average 38.09

The experienced southpaw has emerged as next in line for an Ashes debut as he puts together a solid body of work at first-class level. The top scorer in last year’s Sheffield Shield, with 906 runs at an average of 50.33, continues where he left off this season with three half-centuries in four innings. Weatherald’s most impressive knock in recent times came with 94 runs from 99 balls to give Tasmania a three-run win in a low-scoring battle with Western Australia.

The 30-year-old likes to dictate terms to the bowlers with positive play and would complement Khawaja’s more stable style well, while Australia have shown in the past that they are comfortable with two left-handers opening the innings. Runs against Victoria and a Boland-led attack this week would put Weatherald squarely in line for a first international cap, especially if there is a preference for a specialist opener.

Matt Renshaw

Test record: 14 matches, 645 runs, 1 century, average 29.31
First-class record: 127 matches, 7,809 runs, 24 centuries, average 37.72

The versatile batsman has been hovering around the fringes of the Test team since losing his regular place after 11 matches in 2018, and has just been given a first ODI opportunity against India. Three useful innings, including a half-century in the third white-ball international in Sydney, showed Renshaw is increasingly comfortable at elite level.

The 29-year-old started well this season with 248 runs in three one-day matches for Australia A and scored a century when opening for Queensland in his only Sheffield Shield innings to date. Renshaw first broke into the Test squad as a 20-year-old opener in 2016 and is once again at the top of the order for his state side, but has built up useful experience lower down that could appeal to the selectors.

Mitch Marsh

Test record: 46 matches, 2,083 runs, 3 centuries, average 28.53
First-class record: 121 matches, 6,402 runs, 13 centuries, average 33.34

The Australian white-ball skipper has talked down his chances of being selected for the Ashes opener and is smoky – at best – to make a shock return. But Marsh has proven in the past that he is more comfortable than most against a fast pace and on a bouncy deck that could suit a horse-by-track approach to play at his home venue in Perth.

Marsh has found runs when opening alongside Head in the recent ODIs against India, and made big scores in previous white-ball internationals against New Zealand and South Africa. The 34-year-old will continue to lead Australia in five T20s against India from Wednesday rather than press his claims in the Sheffield Shield, but the door is not yet closed on his Test career, with coach Andrew McDonald naming Marsh as a player who could be selected based on white-ball form.