Nathan McSweeney has jammed a tree branch in his own spokes as the race to be Australia’s new Test opener takes another twist.

The 25-year-old South Australian batter was leading the charge to partner Usman Khawaja at the top of the order in Perth on November 22.

Selectors just needed to see if he could withstand the new ball against quality bowling, given he bats No.3 at state level and had never opened in first-class cricket.

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They elevated him to opener for Australia A’s second tour match against India A, which started at the MCG on Thursday.

McSweeney looked comfortable but had only faced 30 deliveries when he hung his bat out and nicked a length delivery from Mukesh Kumar to be caught in the slips for 14.

The concern for selectors will be the fact McSweeney was in two minds about leaving the ball or playing it.

A necessity for Test openers is being able to leave the ball as comfortably as you are playing a shot. Khawaja is a master at knowing when to leave it alone and can do so for hours on end if the match requires it.

McSweeney is now in danger of missing out on Test selection to Australia A teammate Marcus Harris.

But if selectors look at the form of the pair over several months rather than one innings, McSweeney would still be in a strong position to get the nod.

Before Thursday’s innings he had returned scores of 39, 88 not out, 137, 37, 72, 55, and 127 in his previous seven first-class innings.

That makes for an average of 92.5 against the red ball in his past four matches.

In that same period of time Harris has returned scores of 17, 36, 20, 26, 16, 143, and 52 for an average of 44.28.

Granted that is an improvement on his career first-class average of 39.62 and his painfully below par Test average of 25.29 from 14 matches.

Harris last donned the baggy green in January 2022 but many pundits believe he has had enough time to press his Test credentials and has failed to so.

He’s never scored a century in 26 innings for his country at the highest level. Facing India this summer doesn’t inspire hope he will do so at all.

Another Test bolter – who now seems no chance to get his baggy green in Perth – is teen phenom Sam Konstas.

Konstas, 19, was all the rage heading into last week’s Australia A match but struggled under the spotlight and returned a 0 and 16, before being trapped lbw for 3 early on day two in Melbourne on Friday.

Veteran right-hand batter Cameron Bancroft has also failed his audition for a Test recall and can all but be discounted from the conversation now, leaving it down to McSweeney and Harris.

Selectors are expected to name the Test squad following this tour match.