As selectors finalised Australia’s squad for the World Test Championship final, one omission stood out: Marcus Harris.
While competition for top-order spots has certainly been fiercer in previous years, a closer look at Harris’ recent numbers and overall record suggests he had a strong case to be included—if not in the starting XI, at least in the touring squad.
Marcus Harris has consistently ranked among the top Sheffield Shield run-scorers over the past few seasons. In the two seasons prior to the WTC final (2022–24), his stats were impressive:
2022/23 Shield season: 601 runs @ 43.00, 2 centuries
2023/24 Shield season: 698 runs @ 49.85, 3 centuries
2024/25 Shield season: 561 runs @ 33.00, 1 century
These figures place him among the top three Australian openers in domestic cricket over that span. Unlike the flashier T20 specialists, Harris has kept his game anchored in the traditional virtues of Test batting—patience, technique, and accumulation.
Marcus Harris. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)
One of the major justifications for picking players for a WTC final in England is prior success in those conditions. Harris has delivered:
County Championship (2023): 726 runs @ 45.38 for Gloucestershire
County Championship (2025): 825 runs @ 63.46 for Lancashire
Very few Australian batters have shown such consistency on English pitches. With the WTC final being played at Lords, Harris’ adaptability to swing and seam-friendly conditions should have made him a prime candidate.
Harris’s first-class statistics underline why he’s often been in selectors’ conversations:
Matches: 145
Runs: 9,476
Batting Average: 40.50
100s/50s: 25/48
While his Test average of 25.29 (in 14 matches) may raise eyebrows, it’s his recent form that suggests a more matured, complete player. In fact, only recently David Warner was quoted as saying he still believes he has the game to play Test cricket once more.
“I think Harry [Marcus Harris] still has the game to play Test cricket,” said Warner. HHe’s been around the group for a long time, he’s worked hard, and he’s scored plenty of runs in the Shield and over in England. He’s definitely got what it takes.”
One of Harris’s strengths is his ability to play late and under the eyes—a crucial skill in England where the ball swings more and batsmen are tested outside the off-stump. He also scores heavily square of the wicket and through cover, two areas that exploit the quicker outfields in English grounds. His county success shows he has fine-tuned his technique for these pitches.
Marcus Harris may not be a flashy name, but Test cricket is built on solid foundations. His exclusion from the WTC final squad raises eyebrows when you consider, his superior red-ball form, strong England-specific record, consistency in domestic and overseas first-class cricket
In a final where conditions and composure often decide the outcome, Australia may have overlooked a player who has quietly done everything asked of him to be ready for such a stage. If experience and horses-for-courses selection matter, Marcus Harris should have been on that team sheet for sure.
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