Michael Clarke has backed Cameron Bancroft to earn a Test recall for Australia after making a stunning claim about the current selection puzzle. It’s widely believed Bancroft is in a three-way battle with fringe Test star Marcus Harris and boom NSW youngster Sam Konstas to open the batting alongside Usman Khawaja in Australia’s five-Test series against India, starting at Perth’s Optus Stadium next month.

Bancroft was considered unlucky not to be named David Warner’s successor when the veteran batter retired as Australia’s Test opener in January. The 31-year-old Bancroft has been the leading run-scorer in Sheffield Shield for the past two seasons but was overlooked as Aussie cricket selectors chose all-rounder Cameron Green to bat at No.4 and Steve Smith to open.

But Green’s back injury and Smith’s imminent move back down the order to No.4 has opened the door once again, with Harris also a strong contender after being in and around the Aussie Test side for a number of years. Konstas – the 19-year-old batting prodigy from NSW – has also rocketed into contention after recently becoming the youngest man since Ricky Ponting to score twin centuries in the same Sheffield Shield match.

Like all of the other Test hopefuls and even the established batters in Australia’s team though, Konstas failed to press his claims in Sheffield Shield action on Monday. Konstas was out lbw for two against Victoria at the MCG, before Harris fell for 16 in the second innings after being out for 26 in the first. WA’s Bancroft also fell to his third poor score in a row after being caught for eight on day one against Tasmania, off the back of consecutive ducks against Queensland.

Michael Clarke backs Cameron Bancroft to open for Australia

Despite the trio of flops for the WA opener, former Australia captain Clarke says Bancroft should still be ahead of his rivals, even if Konstas looks to be an undeniable Test star of the future. “I don’t think it’s fair to pick someone on two games. This is also what I’ve said about Sam Konstas as well,” Clarke said on Sky Sports Radio’s Big Sports Breakfast on Tuesday. “I think he’s a very talented player and I love that he’s started the season very well but just because you get two hundreds doesn’t mean you jump someone that’s scored 12 hundreds in the past four years, in a Cameron Bancroft. Or a Harris as well.

“They’ve played first class cricket for a long time, they’ve earned the right to be next in line. I love the Sam story and I think he’s a minute away from getting that crack. If Khawaja retires at the end of this series, to me the timing is perfect. Get him in, let him travel the world and play some Test cricket before he gets back here in 12 months’ time and plays an Ashes series.”

Michael Clarke says Pat Cummins would know who’s opening

Curiously though, Clarke insists Aussie skipper Pat Cummins would already know who’s going to open in the first Test against India and claims selectors would have made the call soon after Green was ruled out of the series. “I would be very disappointed if I was captain of the Australian cricket team and I didn’t know who was opening the batting right now in that first Test match,” Clarke said.

“Well I take it back, I would know. That decision would have been made probably… as soon as Cameron Green was ruled out and we’ve decided to pick a specialist opener, I think the decision would have been made there.” Clarke scoffed at the idea of a bat-off between the Test hopefuls and suggested the upcoming Australia A vs India A matches could be irrelevant when it comes to which player is picked to open the batting.

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“I’ve seen this plenty of times before where the perception is the next couple of games are going to determine who opens the batting for Australia alongside Usman Khawaja,” the former Australia captain added. “But I really do hope the selectors have made their decision. I hope they know exactly who that man is, I hope he’s been told and I hope this is just us watching with interest as a fan and thinking it’s one of three.”