Former Australia cricketer Mike Hussey on the difficulties of batting at No.5 and 6

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THE biggest concern in Australian Test cricket right now may be finding replacements for Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft but there’s a five-year-old gap lower down the order that still needs filling.

A gap that could become a serious problem when Australia takes on Pakistan in two Tests in the United Arab Emirates. With the UAE’s dry pitches often making the turning ball a sterner test than the new one, a reliable contributor at six could be key to the team’s hopes of victory.

It’s something the side has not truly had since Mike Hussey retired in January 2013. Hussey spent much of his final two years in Test cricket shuffling between No.5 and 6, and averaged a healthy 51.73 at four down.

Since he called it a day Australia has got 28.80 runs on average from No.6 batsmen. That’s the third worst of any country that has played at least five Tests in this period, less than a run superior to the West Indies (28.49) and Zimbabwe (28.28).

Make no mistake, although they do not have the prestige of first or second drop, No.5 and No.6 pose tough questions of their own. Just ask Fox Cricket commentator Hussey.

“They’re challenging because there’s so many different situations in games that you can come out to,” he told foxsports.com.au.

“You might come in and your team is in trouble and you have to resurrect the innings, you might come in and you’ve got to tee off and may throw your wicket away. You might come in when the ball is reverse swinging and you’ve got to bat with the tail so you have to think your way through it. It can be a really difficult position to bat.”

That’s evident in the fact 19 Australians — 21 if you include nightwatchmen Nathan Lyon and Peter Siddle — have been trialled at No.6 since Hussey, with Mitchell Marsh (36 innings) the most turned to. The all-rounder was the position’s most recent occupant and looked to have nailed down the spot during the Ashes, averaging 106.66 across three Tests.

However, in that series Marsh had the benefit of walking out to bat when Australia was in strong positions. In South Africa he showed signs he had the game to fire when Australia was in trouble, scoring a fighting 45 after coming out to bat at 4-86 in the second Test. Unfortunately his performances faded as Australia’s did, finishing with a series average of 22.00. The 26-year-old was battling ankle issues through that series, eventually forcing him into ankle surgery in April. He will return to playing duty for Australia A in India next month.

It’s a set of circumstances that puts his hold on a Test spot at risk, with brother Shaun, Victorians Peter Handscomb and Glenn Maxwell, South Australia’s Travis Head and New South Wales’ Kurtis Patterson all fighting over three spots in Australia’s middle-order.

Despite the difficulties that come with batting at No.5 and 6, Hussey does not believe selectors need to look for a specialist middle-order batsman in the position.

“I’d be looking for the six best batsmen in Australia,” he said. “My belief is those guys have had to have dominated Sheffield Shield cricket for a number of seasons – not just half a season, or one season – they’ve had to have dominated.

“Because if they’ve dominated for a number of seasons, they build up that experience, they understand their own game a bit better and they’ll be better adapting at going up and down the order.”