Marcus Harris will enter the Boxing Day Test under pressure to keep his opening spot after plumbing a 128-year low.
Harris missed a golden opportunity to shore up his position on Sunday, adding just two to his overnight score of 21 before being caught behind off Stuart Broad again.
The 29-year-old has had a tough initiation as a Test opener, including a difficult Ashes tour against the Dukes ball in 2019.
It's unlikely Australia will make any changes to a dominant batting line up for Melbourne, but pressure will be on Harris with Usman Khawaja waiting in the wings.
After scores of three and 23 in Adelaide, Harris' average is now just 22.19 after 12 Tests.
That figure is the second-lowest of all men to have opened the batting 20 times for Australia, with only Alec Bannerman lower, between 1880 and 1893.
Harris' Ashes average now sits at 10.66, after scores of three and nine not out in the first Test at the Gabba.
There is no doubt Harris is a talented cricketer, with 19 first-class centuries to his name and a knack of turning good scores into big ones.
He also impressed in his first summer against India and Sri Lanka three summers ago, getting plenty of starts in a tough season for Australia's batters.
But he is yet to convert that into performances at Test level, now with 14 straight dismissals below 50 and a reputation for being caught to balls outside off stump.
Selectors stressed at the start of the summer they wanted to give Harris a lengthy run at the spot, particularly with fellow Victorian Will Pucovski out injured.
"I really like Marcus, he has done everything we are asking in terms of scoring a mountain of domestic runs," chief selector George Bailey said last month.
"We'd love nothing more than being able to back him in and give him an extended run at the top of the order.
"We know how important opening partnerships are.
"For someone to forge a strong relationship with Davey (Warner) at the top is really important for our Test team."
The left-hander had got through the hardest part of his second innings on Saturday night, surviving against the new ball under lights.
It came after he also had to endure a tough period at the start of the Test on Thursday, with Jimmy Anderson and Broad both swinging the ball around.
Beyond Khawaja, Queenslander Bryce Street also impressed in the most recent Australia A game against the England Lions while opening alongside Harry Hunt.
LOWEST AVERAGE AS AUSTRALIAN TEST OPENER (minimum 20 innings)
Alec Bannerman 21.44
Marcus Harris 22.19
Rick Darling 26.18
John Dyson 26.25
Reginald Duff 29.20
