With the career of long-standing Australian opener David Warner approaching an end, the search for an eventual replacement has begun.
Although the official date for his retirement is yet to be set in stone, the 36-year-old initially nominated the upcoming SCG test against Pakistan in January as his final appearance for Australia.
Former test batsman and Australia A coach Adam Voges has put three names forward who he believes are leading the race to take the position.
Marcus Harris, Matthew Renshaw, and Cameron Bancroft have put themselves "at the head of the queue" according to the Voges, with all three having opened for the Australian test side in the past.
Cameron Bancroft had limited success in the 10 Tests he played in 2017-19, sandwiched between a lengthy ban for his part in the infamous ball-tampering scandal. His most notable performance was in his first test at the Gabba where he scored an unbeaten 82* to secure the first Test of the 2017-18 Ashes.
The 30-year-old scored the most runs in last year's Sheffield Shield series with 945 runs at an average of 59 with four centuries. He scored 289 more runs than second-placed South Australia batter Daniel Drew
Marcus Harris was handed his first Test call-up for the 2018-19 series against India following a prolific start to the domestic season, which included a career-best 250 against New South Wales. Harris showed glimpses of promise, scoring two half-centuries in what was a tough series for the Australian outfit. Since that point, Harris failed to maintain his spot in the XI with the re-emergence of Usman Khawaja.
After being awarded another contract with Cricket Australia, Harris delivered in his county cricket appearances scoring 148 from 192 deliveries during Gloucestershire's draw against Glamorgan. It was his seventh County Championship century in the past 24 months.
National selector George Bailey indicated in April that Harris is the first in-line for a return to the position.
"Looking ahead, back in England, another home summer and then some Tests in New Zealand, we certainly rate Harris's ability in those conditions," said Bailey
"Certainly, one of our criteria when we're doing the contracts is past performance, but certainly another one is an eye to the future as well.
"So that perhaps gives an indication of where we hold Harris."
Matthew Renshaw is another experienced batsman throwing his name in the mix. He made his Test debut in November 2016 and scored 71 runs on home soil in Brisbane. Renshaw then at the SCG in his fourth Test batted throughout the first day to score his maiden Test century. He was eventually out for 184 - the highest Test score for Australia by a player so young. Renshaw eventually lost his spot in the XI through inconsistent performances during the 2019-2019 Sheffield Shield.
Renshaw was eventually selected for the 2022-2023 Ashes tour but missed out on selection. His first-class performances have been encouraging, scoring 140 from 261 balls in the second innings of the four-day contest against New Zealand in Lincoln, which ended as a draw. It was his 19th first-class century and sixth red-ball ton in the last 12 months.
Australia A coach Adam Voges believes there will be plenty of opportunity for the trio to reclaim the opening position.
"What we do have is these Australia A games plus six games of Shield cricket to be played before we get to the Test summer, and that will be a great opportunity for all three of those guys to really put their hand up and stick their neck out ahead of the others," said Voges, via cricket.com.au.
"That's I'm sure what a lot of eyes will be on, and that's the opportunity that presents for those guys."
