PERTH, AUSTRALIA - OCTOBER 18: Marcus Harris of Victoria bats during day one of the Sheffield Shield match between Western Australia and Victoria at the WACA on October 18, 2019 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Will Russell/Getty Images)

Australian Test captain Pat Cummins has told dumped opener Marcus Harris that his future still exists in Test cricket.

The selectors confirmed that Harris would be dropped for the fifth Test on Thursday afternoon, being replaced at the top of the order by Usman Khawaja.

Khawaja, who missed the third three Tests of the series after being excluded from the playing XI, replaced Travis Head at number five in Sydney and proceeded to smack twin centuries in an incredible performance.

It would have been a difficult job to drop Khawaja, and it's one the selectors eventually decided against, instead deciding to promote him to the top of the order to accommodate the return of Head, who himself has had an excellent start to the series, scoring 248 runs in four innings at an average of 62.

Harris, on the other hand, has scored 179 runs in seven innings at an average of under 30, going past 50 just once.

Cummins said Harris has "done really well though" and that his Test future isn't over, saying that with both David Warner and Usman Khawaja being 35 years of age, chances will again emerge.

“The message to Harry is we think he’s going really well. It’s really tough on him,” Cummins told the media.

“Uzzie and Davey have really earned that spot to open the batting, but the reality is they’re both 35 years old.

“While that doesn’t mean anything in the short-term, there will be a day when we need to find some other openers.

“Marcus still absolutely has got a huge future with us. He’ll be, I’m sure around the squad."

While he has seemingly struggled at the top of the order this series, Harris has gone 14 Tests without scoring a century, and with a tour of Pakistan looming - a place where Khawaja will almost undoubtedly thrive despite his former struggles on the sub-continent - the decision to open with Khawaja seemed a no-brainer.

The fifth Test will commence at 2:30pm on Friday in Hobart.