Mitchell Johnson: Australia must get serious over top order and end experimental openers

We’re all going to have our views on who should and shouldn’t be in an Ashes squad.

That’s part of the fun and frustration of being an Australian cricket fan - everyone’s got an opinion, and some are more warranted than others.

But the heat put on the selectors this week from an unlikely source in Steve Waugh is justified. Australia’s 15-man Ashes squad contains just one player, Cam Green, under the age of 30 and Waugh merely added to what many of us have been saying, not just for the past few weeks, but for the past couple of years.

The Australian test team is an ageing side and the transition to the next generation has to start somewhere.

That said, Australia is not in a bad position ahead of the Ashes. As always, there are some talking points, but overall the squad has experience. A proven winning unit.

I like that Tasmania opener Jake Weatherald has been named for a potential Test debut. He’s earned it after a strong Sheffield Shield season last summer and solid early-season form again.

Weatherald deserves an opportunity to open. I can’t see them leaving Usman Khawaja out, but there are question marks. He has been a reliable rock at the top, but that only holds if he’s still performing.

Experience is important, but only if it’s contributing. We need Usman at his best, especially while Weatherald is finding his way at Test level.

Chief selector George Bailey has kept the door open for Marnus Labuschagne to open, saying your top three can bat anywhere. I’m not a fan of that idea. Marnus was dropped, went back to No.3, worked on his game, and earned his recall. He’s done what was asked of him.

I understand batters can adapt, but I think the time for experiments is over. This is an Ashes series; pick players based on their performances and the positions they bat in.

If I was an English bowler and saw an Australian top order shuffling around again, it would give me confidence. You can sense uncertainty when batters are out of position. That’s not how you want to walk into the Ashes.

Of course, it’s easy to sit here and write they should’ve done this or picked that person. We won’t really know if the selectors have got it right until we’re a Test or two into the series, pressure builds, and you start to see who’s genuinely up for the fight.

That’s the beauty and the burden of being a selector, you must pick for now, but also for the future.

The way I see the game is different to Bailey, and it’s different to the punter watching from the stands. That’s fine. Debate means people care.

Do I think this is the best squad for right now? Maybe. It’s close to what I expected. I thought Matt Renshaw might sneak in, and I’m disappointed Cameron Bancroft has been overlooked yet again.

But the one that really puzzles me is Sean Abbott’s inclusion. He’s a quality short-form bowler, but in an Ashes squad? I’m not sure. If Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, or Scott Boland go down, I can’t see Abbott as the next best fast bowler in the country.

Brendan Doggett is the next in line if a quick did go down. But this is the squad, and we can’t change it. We can only call it as we see it.

If I had to pick a top four today, I’d go with Khawaja, Weatherald, Labuschagne, and Steve Smith. Issues with Cam Green’s body and his ability to bowl may also come into account, so he may bat at three with Beau Webster retained at six as the primary all-rounder. I would rather see a specialist opener.

The top four is still a guessing game as Green attempts to prove his bowling fitness in the next shield game. Webster is our best-performing all-rounder in this squad and has done everything right. Green will want to make his case heard, with both his batting and bowling.