Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting believes that Cameron Bancroft is in the lead to replace David Warner and Usman Khawaja in Australia’s Test batting lineup. Warner had earlier announced his decision to retire from Test cricket after the upcoming match against Pakistan at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

As Warner prepares to conclude his Test career, several openers are vying for his position in the Australian team. Ponting, noting Bancroft’s impressive domestic performance, considers him the top contender. Bancroft stood out during the 2022/23 summer in Australia’s Sheffield Shield competition, scoring four centuries and finishing as the leading run-scorer.

In the current season, Bancroft continued his excellent form, amassing 945 runs in 11 matches at an average of 59.06, including four centuries and a fifty. Throughout his first-class career, he has accumulated 9,389 runs with an average of 39.12, featuring 25 centuries and 33 fifties in 261 innings, with his best score being 228*.

However, Bancroft’s Test record shows 446 runs in 10 matches at an average of 26.23, with three fifties in 18 innings and a highest score of 82*. Despite not representing Australia since 2019, Ponting is optimistic that Bancroft’s current form will earn him another chance at the international level.

“If you look at those three guys, I think it is quite clear that Bancroft is the one that has got the runs on the board and I would not be surprised if they (selectors) go that way,” Ponting told Australian radio station SEN on Thursday as quoted by ICC.

“If you wind the clock back about six months it might have been a slightly different order than what it is now. I think they probably had Harris as the one that would come back in a while ago. To me now it sort of feels (there is) a bit more of a groundswell behind Cameron Bancroft getting first crack,” he added.

The cricket legend thinks Mitchell Marsh will likely be in Australia’s playing XI because of his outstanding performances in the Ashes series against England (250 runs in six innings, including a century and fifty) and the ICC Cricket World Cup in India (441 runs in 10 innings with two centuries and a fifty). On the other hand, the legend suggests that Cameron Green will have to be patient and wait for his next opportunity.

“I think Cameron Green might just have to sit back and bide his time and wait for the opportunity to come back,” Ponting said.

“He can get a truckload of runs in Shield cricket and sort of force his way back into the side. Labuschagne has been outstanding at No.3 for Australia, it is very much a specialist position,” he added.

Australia starts its series against Pakistan with the first Test in Perth on December 14, followed by matches in Melbourne and Sydney. After that, they’ll have a two-match series against the West Indies at home in January. Currently, Australia is in third place in the ICC World Test Championship standings, having drawn against arch-rival England in the recent Ashes series, where they retained the trophy.