David Warner should be dropped from the Australian team if the two-Test tour of Bangladesh goes ahead this August and September.
While Warner is an automatic choice for this summer’s Ashes on his favoured home pitches, he has become a liability on the road, averaging just 23 with the bat across his past three Test tours, in India, Sri Lanka and New Zealand.
If Australia keep the horses-for-courses selection strategy, which saw in-form batsman Usman Khawaja dropped for the Tests in India because of his poor record in Sri Lanka, Warner should not be chosen to play in Bangladesh.
It was reported four months ago that Australia were a strong chance of playing Tests in Bangladesh before the Ashes, and a Cricket Australia spokesperson this week confirmed to me that was still the case.
Australia have not had a Test tour of Bangladesh since 2006 and were scheduled to play two Tests there in October 2015 before they pulled out due to security concerns.
Given England played two Tests and three ODIs in Bangladesh just five months ago with no security concerns, Cricket Australia would be reassured their team will be safe in the country.
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What shouldn’t be safe, if the tour goes ahead, are the positions of Warner and Shaun Marsh, the latter having been picked in India instead of Khawaja because of his fine record in Sri Lanka.
Warner was the worst of the Australian batsmen in India, failing to play a single convincing knock. His only half-century, in the final Test, was a very scratchy innings during which he was dropped on zero. This follows on from his similarly poor efforts last year in Sri Lanka, where he averaged 27 and failed to show the leadership badly needed by an inexperienced and floundering batting line-up.
The biggest issue with Warner’s batting in Asia is that he has not shown any improvement. In particular, he has been unable or unwilling to bat for time and scrap hard for every run, as is often needed on slow, dry Asian pitches against quality spinners.
Warner, quite simply, has failed to adapt to the conditions.
Meanwhile, the likes of Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Peter Handscomb and Matt Wade all reined in their attacking instincts in India in recognition of the tougher batting conditions. That Maxwell, considered one of Australia’s most aggressive and unorthodox batsmen, was able to do this reflects poorly on Warner.
During their tour of India, Australia relied heavily on Smith but they also got some encouraging batting performances from Handscomb, Wade, Maxwell and Matt Renshaw. The two abject failures, Warner and Marsh, should be replaced if Australia tour Bangladesh.
Despite their impressive series in India, Australia would still be vulnerable against Bangladesh, a vastly improved side, who last year drew 1-1 at home with England.
In place of Warner and Marsh, Australia should pick two out of Khawaja, Hilton Cartwright and Kurtis Patterson. While I still have serious concerns about Khawaja’s timid approach against spin on dry tracks, it would be harsh to again leave him out of the line-up if two spots opened up.
It was one thing to omit Khawaja in India in favour of Marsh, who had a far superior Test record in Asia. But it would not make sense to pick an untried batsman in Bangladesh ahead of the classy left-hander.
I would have Khawaja replace Warner at the top of the order, with Cartwright to take Marsh’s middle-order berth. The 25-year-old West Australian all-rounder has the best first-class record of any batsman outside of the Test team, with 1458 runs at an average of 52.
He’s also had back-to-back outstanding Shield seasons. Last summer Cartwright made 408 runs at 68 from his six matches and this summer he built on that, finishing as the second-highest runscorer in the competition, with 861 runs at 54.
Crucially, Cartwright is an impressive player of spin, using his swift, confident footwork to either skip down the wicket or get deep in his crease to cut and pull.
His medium pace is a mere bonus, as Cartwright is a genuine frontline batsman, who bats at first drop for WA. With Maxwell at six, Australia would have then six decent bowling options.
Attack leader Mitchell Starc is expected to be fit well in time for this tour, should it go ahead. His return would mean that one of Pat Cummins, Nathan Lyon or Steve O’Keefe would need to go out of the line-up, with that choice depending on pitch conditions.
My Australian line-up for proposed Test tour of Bangladesh:
1. Matt Renshaw
2. Usman Khawaja
3. Steve Smith
4. Peter Handscomb
5. Hilton Cartwright
6. Glenn Maxwell
7. Matt Wade
8. Mitchell Starc
9. Steve O’Keefe
10. Nathan Lyon
11. Josh Hazlewood
12. Pat Cummins
13. Kurtis Patterson
14. Ashton Agar
Gaz
Guest
Sorry Shaun Marsh has averaged around 40 in his last 15 tests.
Gaz
Guest
Ryan, Marsh wasn't an abject failure, helped saved a test at least. He's also averaged 48 in his last 15 tests. He plays well overseas and has had two successful series in SL so deserves a chance to tour Bangladesh more than a few others. For the Ashes i was expecting Khawaja to come back in for him. He would then be first reserve. Head is someone who will be considered also as well as Burns if he continues his from from last season (he did well after getting dropped). If any of Starc, Hazlewood, Cummins or Pattinson aren't fit Sayers should be next.
Arto
Guest
I know th article is about Warner, Ronan, but seeing as I agree with Your suggestion to drop him for the series against BGL, I'd rather ask you why you haven't found room for Pattinson in Your XI?? ;-D I reckon it's the perfect opportunity to try the 4-prong pace attack and even 5-bolwer line-up (ie: don't drop Lyon)...
Mark
Guest
Warner's a scrub on the subcontinent, so let's put Khawaja in the XI? What?
golfunion
Roar Rookie
Ronan - Great read, fully concur, Warner is a liability away from home, offers nothing as V.C., from a batting perspective zero leadership in India, better to pay him to stay home watching the 'OLED', taking care of the kids and reading Shakespeare.
Adam
Guest
You don't no much
Ben
Guest
SHAUN MARSH IS A DUD. He should never play another Test match ever again, period. He is proven he isn't a 'Subcontinental Specialist', and therefore not play ever again.
matth
Guest
I wouldn't over think this. Just bring Khawaja in for Marsh and bring Cartwright as a back up. Everything else should stay the same. Depending on his state of health I would be happy for Starc and Hazlewood to stay home and give Cummins, Pattinson and Behrendorff a run as the pace squad.
matth
Guest
No it won't be. We will be playing Bangladesh.
spruce moose
Guest
Congratulations. This is the most gutless comment of 2017.
spruce moose
Guest
Bingo. Perhaps Australia should just play 5 tests in Australia every year on pitches tailored for David Warner. Good for brand that way.
Steve
Guest
I think if you actually check the stats, Shaun Marsh scored two fifties in India whilst Handscomb scored one. And Marsh is the "abject failure"?!
Disco Stu
Roar Rookie
I’m a fan of Warner and I believe the Australian team is better with him in it. I also believe the statistical sample is still very low. Two or three good scores and suddenly Warner’s average in India gets better very quickly. However, I was very disappointed in this tour for Warner. Renshaw, Maxwell and Hanscomb made the effort to modify their game to suit the conditions, as did players like Hayden in the past. Warner, on the other hand, specifically stated that he can only ‘play his natural game’. No David. Your natural game isn’t working in these conditions. You need to change what you’re doing because it’s not working. Renshaw and Hanscomb may have only just outscored Warner in this series, but they did so with a specific intention of trying to work out conditions and adjust to do what needs to be done. If they follow this mantra they will improve over time. If Warner keeps up with the idea that he can only do one thing and can’t change it, then I don’t see where the improvement is going to come from. I'm happy for him to stay in the team because he is one of our best batsmen, but while there is a saying 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it', there must also be an equal and opposite saying 'If it is broke, for god's sake do something to fix it'.
Disco Stu
Roar Rookie
Wow that's a negative way to look at it. Two things I'd say: 1. Where you say a loss would be bad for morale against the Poms, wouldn't a win be great for morale next time we play in sub-continental conditions, given that we haven't won over there since Jesus was an apprentice? 2. We are always lamenting that we are crap against spin because we rarely have to confront those conditions. Why would you deliberately avoid another chance for Renshaw, Hanscomb, etc to get onto a dry wicket and test themselves?
AREH
Roar Guru
Agree but perhaps a little harsh regarding England. In the most recent Ashes series in 2015 Warner posted five half-centuries showing quite a bit of fight; substantially more than a few of his teammates. I do however get what you're saying and do worry about him handling a moving duke ball in such conditions.
TheCunningLinguistic
Guest
People think that only the first letter of a sentence should be capitalised. Unless it's a place, name etc. The People have spoken!
TheCunningLinguistic
Guest
You don't know that, Ross. Just saying it doesn't make it so. Khawaja has an awful technique against spin, I genuinely believe he would've been worse than S. Marsh. SOS definitely failed this tour, but at least he had two good match contributions. Warner didn't really have any, why don't we turn the blowtorch on him?
TheCunningLinguistic
Guest
Not sure why people insist on throwing an extra 'o' into 'losing'...
John
Guest
The security situation in Bangladesh is worse than in Pakistan. In the past 6 months there have been more individual incidents of terrorist attacks in Bangladesh aimed at foreigners. DFAT lists both Bangladesh "reconsider your need to travel," while US Dept of State lists the threat level as high. Australian lives are far more important than cricket. We have nothing to gain from a Test side ranked 10.
Timmuh
Roar Guru
I'm not so sure the Dukes made a substantial difference, its the conditions as much as the ball that make the difference. Its hard to replicate the dampness under the surface, overcast and dampness above the surface, or an English summer. And I really don't see Burns as an opener, I know that's where he bats. I think its a mistake. He plays defensively at too much outside off, often does so with an angled bat. Against the new ball that's basically asking the bowler to hit the edge.