Ashes 2021-22: Marcus Harris set to receive another chance despite damning openers statistic

When the 233 players that have opened at least 20 times in Test matches are ordered by average, Harris comes in at 233rd place.

Cricket statistician Ric Finlay shared the information on social media, with Harris’s contribution of just three in the first innings in Brisbane leaving him with an average of 21.5.

Australia will not change a winning side, while national selection boss George Bailey said ahead of the Ashes Harris would be given a decent chance to cement his position at the top of the order.

But another failure in the second Test in Adelaide would put him under enormous pressure.

Harris never looked comfortable against England’s new ball pairing on Thursday morning, with Ollie Robinson toying with the left hander before drawing a shot that had him caught in the slips in just the sixth over.

Harris played and missed three times as Robinson sent down 150km/h thunderbolts with the new ball before he drew the West Australian forward with a ball angling across his body, drawing an edge that flew low to Dawid Malan at third slip.

Harris won the opening spot over Usman Khawaja, who was also overlooked at no.5 for Travis Head.

Head repaid the faith with a swashbuckling effort that could cement his place in the team for the Ashes series.

But with Khawaja in form and waiting in the wings, Harris is under pressure to score in the second innings at the Gabba and in Adelaide, where frustrated swing kings Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad will be lying in wait with the pink ball.

Speaking on Channel 7, former Test captain Ricky Ponting - an unabashed Khawaja fan who admitted he would have picked him in his Gabba Test team somewhere - said Harris probably had two games to cement his spot.

“He probably has four innings to get one significant score or they will look to make a change,” Ponting said.

Khawaja, who has an overall Test average of 40.6, including eight centuries, has opened on seven occasions for an average of 96.8.

Harris’s failure was amplified as David Warner (94), riding his luck, and Marnus Labuschagne (74) seemed set to score centuries before a mini-collapse brought England back into the match.

Sailing at 1/166, Australia lost 5/70 before Head steadied the ship, first with wicketkeeper Alex Carey and then with his captain Pat Cummins (12), who fell to opposing captain Joe Root.

Carey scored 12 on debut, sharing a 41-run partnership with Head before playing a rash shot to Chris Woakes, swatting a short ball to midwicket.