NewsAshes Slashes – 10 July 2025
Stuart Broad has looked at the trio opening for Australia in the Caribbean and struggled to see how they can line up again in Perth come November. The retired quick, speaking on the Grade Cricketer podcast, labelled the Usman Khawaja–Sam Konstas–Cameron Green combination “the most muddled top three” he can remember from Australia.
“I can’t see this being the same top three for the Ashes,” Broad said. “I’m not out of place in thinking it’s the most muddled top three in my lifetime.”
Australia are mid-tour in the West Indies, with one pink-ball Test in Jamaica left before attention turns to the English summer and, ultimately, the Ashes opener at Perth Stadium. Konstas has returned for this series after being left out of the World Test Championship final, while Green has been promoted to No. 3 since Lord’s on his comeback from injury.
So far the numbers look thin: Konstas 3, 5, 25, 0; Khawaja no half-century; Green one determined fifty in Grenada that at least hinted at comfort outside the middle order. Since the start of 2024 Australia’s top three have averaged 26.97, with Khawaja’s 232 in Galle still the only century. It is mid-table stuff, sandwiched between Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe.
Broad, who made a career of needling Australia, could not resist another jab. “Cameron Green at three, he’s a six, isn’t he? Five or six,” he said, before adding a note of sympathy for Konstas: “Those pitches in the Caribbean have been quite tricky … I imagine he’ll get a run … I think he is there to stay.”
The remark prompted a mild riposte from Australia batting coach Michael Di Venuto. When reminded of the coach’s recent defence of the line-up, Broad replied drily: “Oh, that’s good… is he a selector?”
Di Venuto, speaking to reporters in Antigua, admitted the batting group has mis-fired for some time. “We don’t hide behind the fact that we haven’t functioned as a unit for the last couple of years,” he said. “Take out the Sri Lanka series where we were outstanding in the spinning conditions, apart from that it’s been really hard work and we’ve relied on individual brilliance to get us totals.”
He pointed to testing surfaces in the Caribbean – variable bounce and seam-friendly mornings – but also conceded that averages have dipped across the board. “Batting averages have come down, so too have the bowling averages. The bowlers have had some fun in the last couple of years and that’s just the way it is.”
England, for their part, still have three Tests in India before naming an Ashes squad. Their own top-order uncertainties are hardly secret, yet Broad’s focus remained fixed on Australia’s shuffle. The 167-Test veteran grew up watching the stability of “Hayden, Langer, Ponting” and was surprised the current side have not locked in a similar spine.
Part of the issue is role clarity. Khawaja, 38 in December, has been a reliable anchor but has struggled for rhythm since Sri Lanka. Konstas, only 23, is learning on the job. Green, a natural middle-order all-rounder, may yet echo the trajectory of Shane Watson, who ended up opening after starting lower down.
Selector George Bailey will have limited room to experiment before the Ashes: just a handful of Sheffield Shield rounds and a solitary warm-up match in Adelaide. Matt Renshaw, Marcus Harris and Will Pucovski are among those pushing claims, but none dominate domestic attacks consistently enough to demand immediate recall.
Privately, team insiders suggest one change – perhaps pushing Green back to No. 6 and slotting Marnus Labuschagne to No. 3, as briefly trialled at The Oval – might be the simplest fix. Yet the coaches are wary of more shuffling without evidence it will stick.
For now, Konstas is expected to see out the West Indies series. If runs elude him again in Jamaica, though, Bailey’s phone will start ringing. Broad, comfortable in the studio rather than charging in with the new ball, will no doubt be watching.
Australia’s final Test in Kingston starts on Saturday. England wrap up in Dharamsala the same week. By the time the two sides meet in Perth, one suspects at least one of the three names pencilled on Australia’s batting card today will have been rubbed out.
And Broad will almost certainly have an opinion on who it should be.
