Despite struggling somewhat in his debut Test series, young opener Cameron Bancroft has received an endorsement from one of Australia’s finest Test batsmen Michael Hussey.

Bancroft managed just 179 runs at a paltry average of 25.57 during the recently completed Ashes, but Mike Hussey has given the 25-year-old his endorsement to stay at the top of the order for the upcoming tour of South Africa.

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Bancroft’s Big Bash form has surely had a role to play in seeing him keep his place in the Aussie squad. He top-scored for the Perth Scorchers, with 54, in their recent win over the Hobart Hurricanes.

But Hussey was more concerned with Bancroft’s experience wearing whites. “Bancroft found it tough at certain stages through the Ashes but looked good most of the time and he would have learned so much from playing in that series,” Hussey added.

“The experience that he would have got from playing in an Ashes series, a huge high, will hold him in good stead as long as he learns from those lessons. He’s a student of the game … he’ll continue to work really hard and it will be a challenge for him in South Africa.”

However, Hussey also acknowledged Bancroft wouldn’t find things easy in Africa.

“The pitches generally do a little bit more, so he’s certainly going to be under the pump over there,” he said. “If he doesn’t perform well in South Africa, I’m sure there’s going to be plenty of people saying that he needs to move out of the team.”

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Instead, Hussey suggested a recently dropped Test player could be the man to open the batting – however, not Matt Renshaw.

“Possibly they could make a change with [Peter] Handscomb going to the top – I don’t think he’d mind, he’d just love to get an opportunity to play,” Hussey said.

Australia will be traveling South Africa for an intense four-match Test series, which will commence in March and will get finished before the Indian Premier League.