Australian selectors will give inconsistent opening batsmen David Warner and Ed Cowan every chance to form a reliable partnership before the Ashes.
The pair have just one century partnership to show from their 17 innings together and have been criticised for exposing the Australian middle order far too often.
Averaging 41.17 for the first wicket, Cowan and Warner have the scratchiest record for an established Australian opening combination since Matt Hayden and Simon Katich in 2008/09.
The difference being that Hayden was in the twilight of a career where he’d carved out a reputation as the most-feared opening batsman in the world, and Katich would go on to bat successfully with Shane Watson and Phil Hughes at the top of the order in the years following.
The ying and yang contrast of the patient Cowan and the robust Warner has shown potential, but Australia need the pair to urgently find some chemistry during the series against Sri Lanka.
Cowan and Warner took it in turns to record centuries in the first and second Tests against South Africa but, overall, they’re yet to find cohesion as a partnership.
Australian coach Mickey Arthur says the left-handed duo are in no immediate danger of being dropped, and selectors are backing them to work things out.
“They’ve both shown us they can play and we know that they belong at this level, which means we are going to give them every opportunity to fulfil that,” said Arthur.
“I think with experience will come a lot more consistency and that’s obviously key for us – and getting good starts because that obviously takes pressure off the middle order.
“Cowan and Warner showed us glimpses this series. I thought they were good in patches.
“I’m very comfortable, though, that those two have it in them to give us that consistency at the top of the order and, individually, they’ve shown it again this series against probably the best bowling attack in the world.”