Could Sam Whiteman be Australia’s next test opener?

Paul Ryan | October 23, 2024

The debate around who will partner Usman Khawaja as Australia’s next Test opener has sparked plenty of discussion. With Steve Smith seemingly moving back to number 4 and Cameron Green out for the summer, Australia finds itself needing a new face at the top of the order.

While Cameron Bancroft and Marcus Harris churn out first-class centuries more regularly than most openers around the country, neither has secured a Test century in their combined 44 innings. Both will be 32 years old by the first Test, and it feels like they may be carrying some baggage from their multiple in-and-out stints with the team. The fact that selectors chose to move Steve Smith up the order to open after David Warner’s retirement suggests there might be lingering doubts about both.

Nic Maddinson, who made an impressive return last season with three first-class centuries post a serious knee injury, could bring the kind of aggressive, Warner-esque flair that puts immediate pressure on opposition new ball bowlers.

Then there's Sam Konstas, the 19-year-old sensation who’s been generating buzz with two centuries in the opening Sheffield Shield match for NSW. While his potential is undeniable, test selection may still be a touch too soon for him.

For the here and now, my pick for Australia’s next Test opener is Sam Whiteman. At 32, the same age as Harris and Bancroft, Whiteman has played 108 first-class games, hit 16 centuries, and had a strong 2023-24 season with 770 runs (just eight fewer than Bancroft), including a crucial 108 in the Sheffield Shield final when he led Western Australia to victory. Starting the 2024-25 season with a century against Queensland only reinforces his case.

The Australian A team did not include Whiteman for the two four-day games against an Indian XI that preceded the first Test in Perth on November 22. Bancroft, Harris, and Konstas are the openers selected, giving them a prime opportunity to cement their spot.

Does that reveal the selectors' hand? Maybe, perhaps not. But Whiteman’s leadership qualities, solid technique, and resilience—reinventing himself as an opener after a finger injury ended his wicketkeeping career—make him the ideal candidate to step up.

Australia needs stability at the top. Usman Khawaja will turn 38 in December of this year, and it's possible that another selection decision is imminent. The choice of Whiteman to partner Khawaja against India could lay the groundwork for a potential opening partnership between Whiteman and Konstas. For now, I believe it's Sam Whiteman's time.