Joe Burns is "horribly out of form" and can't be picked in the first Test against India, Australian legends Allan Border and Shane Warne have declared.
And his potential omission could open the door for young all-rounder Cameron Green's hotly-anticipated debut.
Burns, an incumbent Test opener, was pencilled in to join David Warner atop the Australian order at Adelaide Oval. Injury carnage has hit the Aussie squad, with Warner and Will Pucovski ruled out and Marcus Harris called up.
Harris now looks set to play ahead of Burns, who has barely made a run this summer. The Queenslander made a duck and one for Australia A against India, in the tour game that concluded yesterday at the SCG.
He was LBW to Mohammed Shami in his final audition, taking 21 balls for his lone run.
"It is such a tough one because you're just doing a disservice to Burnsy," Border said on Fox Cricket.
"He is the incumbent, but he just doesn't look like scoring a run.
"I love Burnsy to death, but you have just got to be real and you can't pick him. He just looks so vulnerable at the top of the order."
Warne agreed, saying that he would promote Matthew Wade from the middle-order to open the batting and play Green at No.6. The young star hit a century for Australia A against an Indian XI last week, before copping a blow to the head while bowling against India in the second tour match.
https://twitter.com/ShaneWarne/status/1338022525607890944?s=20
No.3 batsman Marnus Labuschagne may be another option to open the batting with Harris, which would push Steve Smith to first-drop. Warne suggested that veteran batsman Shaun Marsh could return to the Australian side if Green had not recovered from his head knock.
Burns' form slump has been tough to watch. He made five runs across four innings against India and he is averaging 6.88 in first-class cricket this summer, having made just 62 runs with a top score of 29.
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