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“Muddled” Australian top three a concern for Stuart Broad
SEN • July 9th, 2025 5:16 pm
England cricket great Stuart Broad has described Australia’s current Test top three as the most muddled he’s seen from the nation in his lifetime.
Broad, who played in 40 Ashes Tests from 2009 to 2023, grew up during Australia’s golden era with Matthew Hayden, Justin Langer and Ricky Ponting at the top and bowled to trio’s such as David Warner, Chris Rogers and Shane Watson as well as David Warner, Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne at their peaks.
Having been so used to the Aussies possessing a strong top three, Broad is struggling to get a grasp on Australia’s current trio of a 38-year-old Khawaja, teenager Sam Konstas who averages 18.25 and Cam Green who averages just 16.66 from his six attempts at first-drop.
With the three batsmen struggling as a trio, Broad questioned where Green truly sits in Australia’s XI and even tipped Marnus Labuschagne to return to the top of the order for the Ashes if he can find any kind of form in the lead-up.
And while Konstas hasn’t set the world alight since his Boxing Day debut, Broad has seen enough to suggest that he’ll be a long-term success for Australia and should hold his spot for the summer.
“I’m not out of place in thinking it’s the most muddled top three in my lifetime. I’ve grown up with Hayden, Langer and Ponting,” Broad said on The Grade Cricketer.
“But I think Usman is struggling. Cameron Green at three… he’s a six, isn’t he? Or a five. Anyone who used to take off stump guard would really excite me as an opening bowler because they play at fifth stump and don’t know where their off stump is.
“Ultimately with Labuschagne, I know he’s struggled for a couple of years, but he’s a good player. So I’d be surprised if he doesn’t come back into the frame at some stage.
“Konstas is young and learning his way, those pitches in the Caribbean have been quite tricky so I imagine he’ll get a run (in the Ashes).
“I watched him net before the World Test Championship at Lord’s and even though he didn’t play, the crunch off the bat that you hear (was impressive), but he’s got a couple of low scores and you start to question yourself a little bit. But I think he (Konstas) is there to stay."
If Broad were an Australian selector, he’d be picking the best top three that can play a role to protect the middle order, which is no doubt the strongest part of the Aussie line-up.
If the openers and No. 3 can see off the new ball and allow Steve Smith and Travis Head to face an older ball this summer, Broad himself knows just how hard that work can be as a bowler.
“I can’t see this being the same top three for the Ashes. I’m trying not to look that far ahead, particularly with English cricket, but the Aussie selectors generally get it right and they can’t be watching the top three currently in the Caribbean going, ‘That top three is amazing’,” Broad added.
“They need to find a way to protect Smith and Head at four and five who are unbelievable and Carey is playing great at seven.
“You can’t have Steve Smith in so early every game, one of Australia’s greatest strengths is when ‘Smudger’ arrives with a 35-over old ball and it’s doing nothing … so they need to find a way to do that.”
Australia’s top three next get a chance to impress when they face the West Indies in Jamaica on Sunday morning (AEST) for a pink ball Test. Listen to every ball LIVE on SEN and the SEN app.
