Selectors ponder left-field options for fourth Ashes Test

High among the points Australia's selectors will discuss ahead of next week's fourth Ashes Test at Old Trafford is the success England's bowlers have enjoyed against their rivals' surfeit of left-handers.

While performances in the three-day tour game against Derbyshire, which the tourists won by an innings and 54 runs, were almost universally pleasing, the team to take the field in Manchester from Wednesday will feature at least one change.

The return of ex-skipper Steve Smith after suffering concussion means another shake-up of the top six batting is inevitable.

And in the aftermath of the Derbyshire tour game, before the squad made the two-hour road trip to Manchester skirting the perimeter of famed Peak District, selection panel chair Trevor Hohns admitted there are a number of options to be canvassed.

Although Hohns was reluctant to reveal the specifics of the conversations to be had with co-selectors Justin Langer and Greg Chappell (in consultation with captain Tim Paine) he conceded England's tactics against Australia's left-handed top-order batters would form the basis of one.

In the three Tests of this Ashes series, Stuart Broad and then Jofra Archer had tormented Australia's top-order and been especially potent against left-handers.

Only once in those three Tests have Australia posted a score of 300 or more – in the second innings at Edgbaston – which is also the only time they have reached 150 before losing at least four wickets.

The fragility of the top-order has been a concern for both teams, and the re-inclusion of Smith plus the compelling case for retention tendered by his replacement Marnus Labuschagne has the selectors mulling another reshuffle.

"It has been difficult up top for both teams," Hohns said today of the respective batting woes.

"The opening bowlers with that new ball, and conditions that seem to have prevailed, it has been very, very difficult for any player who has batted in the top three.

"We are mindful of that. We are also mindful that the England bowlers have bowled very well to our guys, particularly our left-handers, so we will certainly look at that as well."

The demarcation between the right and left-handers in Australia's top six has been stark.

Despite playing only one and half Tests each, Smith and Labuschagne (both right-handers) have been Australia's best-performed batters averaging 126 and 71 respectively.

Vice-captain Travis Head (160 runs from six innings at 32) has been the most productive of the lefties, followed by Matthew Wade (151 at 25.17), Usman Khwaja (122 at 20.33), David Warner (79 at 13.17) and Marcus Harris (27 at 13.50 from his sole appearance).

All but a handful of those left-hander dismissals have been the result of England's four-pronged pace attack (often operating around the wicket) having their opponents bowled, lbw when pinned on the crease, or caught behind the wicket.

The problem faced by Hohns and his panel is the absence of auxiliary right-handers in the 17-man touring party.

The only other specialist batter to fit that bill is opener Cameron Bancroft, who was tried for the first two Tests (44 runs at 11) before being dropped for Harris.

However, if Australia were looking to make a change further down the batting order they might consider recalling allrounder Mitchell Marsh, who was player of the match in the tour game at Derby and doubles as a handy fourth-string seamer.

"Mitchell Marsh has certainly given us a good option today," Hohns said immediately after the tour match, in which Marsh top-scored for Australia with 74 batting at number three and claimed 3-38 from 17 overs with the ball.

"All players are in contention, I must say.

"Everyone has certainly put forward a good case for inclusion for the next Test match."

If Marsh was to be added to the starting XI, it would require a significant shake-up of the current batting structure.

One way that might be achieved would be to retain Harris or employ Usman Khawaja as opener (the role he filled as captain at Derby) alongside David Warner, with Labuschagne installed at three.

Hohns cautioned against reading too much into the decision to deploy Khawaja as an opener against Derbyshire, where he compiled a typically elegant 72 from 157 balls.

"It's just the way we wanted to the side to look and to bat," Hohns said of the decision, which Khawaja had earlier revealed was not made by him despite being skipper.

"The important thing in this (Derby) game was to give as many players as possible an opportunity to get some game time and some batting in the middle.

"There's no great pointer in Usman opening.

"We know he can open, he's done that before in Test matches, we know he's been pretty good at number three for us as well."

In the course of his seven-Test career to date, Labuschagne has filled every specialist batting berth between three and seven and – with Smith settling back in at number four – having the Queenslander at first-drop would break up the run of lefties after the openers.

"He's been terrific with the opportunity he was given in Lord's, unfortunate opportunity of course," Hohns said of Labuschagne who received his chance when activated as concussion substitute for Smith in the second Test.

"He's certainly made every post a winner, and made the most of every opportunity he has been given.

"Adding that to the fact he can bowl some handy leg-spin as well, he's a prime contender (for Old Trafford).

"It's very hard for me to say just where, but he's an option everywhere as we have seen."

The other argument for considering Marsh is the role he can play as a 'defensive' seamer, which is seen as a necessary counter-balance to Mitchell Starc's all-out aggression.

Starc has worked hard to concede fewer runs, especially with the new ball, but despite starring against Derbyshire the selectors might be anxious about his capacity to leak runs on a fast-scoring ground such as Old Trafford.

With the Manchester pitch tipped to be among the quickest of the series, the temptation to unleash Starc might also require the steadiness of Marsh – a more accomplished batter than Peter Siddle, who also fulfils that role – given the allrounder has conceded just 2.6 runs per over in his two first-class outings this tour.

If that proves the option selectors take, then it would seem Wade might be the unlucky batter (along with either Harris or Khawaja) to be squeezed out in the log-jam.

That's despite Wade being the only Australia batter other than Smith to reach a century in this series, with his 110 in the opening Test at Edgbaston pivotal in his team's 251-run victory.

"He played very well that innings he made a hundred," Hohns said of Wade.

"Unfortunately, things have not quite gone his way since then.

"That will certainly be an area we are having a look at.

"Whether it's up the top or in the middle, we'll sit down and go through 'why' and 'what-if' – if we play this person, who's suited better to what particular area of our batting line-up."

2019 Qantas Ashes Tour of England

Australia squad: Tim Paine (c), Cameron Bancroft, Pat Cummins, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Peter Siddle, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, David Warner.

England squad: Joe Root (c), Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Jack Leach, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes (vc), Chris Woakes.

First Test: Australia beat England by 251 runs at Edgbaston

Second Test: Match drawn at Lord's

Third Test: England defeat Australia by one wicket at Headingley

Tour match: Australians v Derbyshire, August 29-31

Fourth Test: September 4-8, Old Trafford

Fifth Test: September 12-16, The Oval