Ed Cowan says Australian batters under pressure as Test summer begins against Bangladesh

Former Australian Test opener Ed Cowan says some of Australia's batters are under pressure to make significant scores as the summer of cricket begins against Bangladesh in the Top End this week.

"If you're in the Australian Test team, and not performing regularly, there is just nowhere to hide," Cowan said on the ABC Cricket Podcast.

"And unfortunately, sometimes you get these weaker teams, and the expectation actually goes up. Cricket is hard enough, let alone with the weight of the world on your shoulders."

The Australian team is about to enter a 12-month period with potentially 21 Tests scheduled, including key away fixtures in India, South Africa and England.

Between June 2025 and the start of this cycle tomorrow, they played eight Tests, five of which were in Australia.

"That's two careers, 21 Test matches. You could have two careers in that time. That's a lot of Test cricket," Cowan said.

That cycle begins in Darwin when they take on Bangladesh, a nation ranked ninth in the ICC Test rankings.

At the conclusion of the recent successful Ashes series against England, the average age of the Australian team was just under 34. This is a team that has played together and had great success for a long time.

Cowan does not believe that playing lower-ranked opposition necessarily provides younger players with a chance to gain experience.

"I think you are trying to pick your best available team and there's always an opportunity to work through your portfolio of players, and they've done this in recent years, usually away from home and it's less opposition dependent and more condition dependent," he said.

The bowling attack has been well established for some time with the likes of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon proving a recipe for success.

Where the questions creep in is around the batting line-up.

Jake Weatherald was given an opportunity to open the batting in the recent Ashes series but is yet to score an international century, with a top score of 72.

Cowan expects the Northern Territory product to open in the first game, but says he remains under pressure.

"If Jake Weatherald doesn't get 100 in the next five Test matches, more than likely we'll find someone who will get an opportunity to open the batting. And so there's going to be some natural attrition over the coming months," he said.

He is not the only player who will be searching for form in this two-match series against Bangladesh. Marnus Labuschagne has averaged 26.61 with the bat in his last 20 tests and has taken time away from playing to focus on a training block in Queensland.

"After eight weeks of being able to just go back to my fundamentals and working on my game, spending hours and hours on the simple things, just my shots, working on my shapes and my technique as a whole, is something that I definitely needed," Labuschagne told reporters in Brisbane last week.

It has been over 1,100 days since he last reached triple figures in a Test match back in 2023. Cowan believes these Tests could be a step in the right direction for Labuschagne.

"The greatest thing that you can have as a Test batsman is confidence. And confidence is only bred through performance," he said.

The youngest member of Australia's most recent Test team is Cameron Green. When the West Australian debuted in 2020, aged 21, he was touted as one of the best young talents in the country, but his recent form has some questioning his future in the side.

The now 27-year-old has played 37 Tests and has a batting average of 32.75 and a bowling average of 38.94, but Australian coach Andrew McDonald is resolute that Green remains a vital member of his side.

"We believe Cam Green is a very, very skilled player, and we believe, sometimes, his performances have been taken a little bit out of context," McDonald told SEN Radio.

"He's been contributing to this team, as have a lot of that top seven, in conditions that haven't been favourable to batters."

Cowan believes these two Tests present an opportunity for those out of form to find some form at a time when there is less pressure coming from other domestic players.

"They get first crack at it. And when there's no other cricket going on, there was a CA XI game that we'll come to, but there's no Shield cricket, there's no Aussie A tours, no-one's putting pressure on anyone," he said.

"It's a bit of a free swing. And in many respects, that should free the batters up to just go and play."