Selectors should be in firing line if Warner gamble costs Australia the world Test trophy and Ashes urn

David Warner will be given a chance to redeem himself in England as part of the World Test Championship final and Ashes tour but if the struggling opener fails, the selectors should also face the axe.

Warner and fellow left-handers Marcus Harris and Matt Renshaw have been included in the 17-man squad for the final against India at The Oval on June 7 and at least the first two matches of the Ashes series at Edgbaston and Lord’s. 

There were a few surprises in the squad with Mitchell Marsh recalled four years after his last Test, young quick Lance Morris ruled out with a back injury and Josh Inglis getting the nod ahead of Peter Handscomb as the back-up middle-order/keeper option.

Chief selector George Bailey said at a media conference on Wednesday that Warner was all but certain to open alongside Usman Khawaja in the Ultimate Test and all indications are that he will be retained for the start of the Ashes the following week. 

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The fact that Renshaw was overlooked for a Cricket Australia contract while Harris received one last week when the annual list was announced means the Queenslander is probably fourth in line for an opening spot.

Marcus Harris and David Warner are in contention to partner opener Usman Khawaja. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

West Australian right-hander Cameron Bancroft, like Renshaw, has been in much better form at first-class level in recent months than Harris while Warner has struggled in the Test arena for more than two years but the selectors continue to show faith in the fading star.

Warner and Harris have poor records in England whichever way you try to spin them. 

On the 2019 tour, they both averaged in single digits. Warner scored 95 runs in 10 innings, most of which came from his one notable score of 61, while Harris was dumped after three Tests that series following six innings that yielded 58 runs at 9.66.

Warner’s failure four years ago continued a trend of struggling the UK – in 13 Tests since 2013, he averages 26.04 from 25 trips to the crease with no centuries. 

He has eked out 914 Test runs at an average of 29.48 since the start of 2021 with only one triple-figure score – his MCG 200 against the Proteas in December. 

The 36-year-old looked all at sea in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in India, making 26 from three knocks before a fractured elbow brought his campaign to a mercifully premature end.

Bailey and fellow selectors Tony Dodemaide and coach Andrew McDonald should face questions from Cricket Australia’s top brass if they go with Warner and then Harris and the gamble backfires. 

George Bailey. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

Even though home captain Ben Stokes has indicated he will be asking groundstaff to prepare flat, fast wickets to suit their Bazball style, opening stands are crucial in English conditions.

Australia cannot afford to have a lame duck option alongside the in-form Khawaja as early wickets will expose the world-class middle-order trio of Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith and Travis Head to the new ball. 

“I think the conversations with David, like any of the senior players, they are excited. I think it’s always a highly anticipated series. He’s invested and wants to make sure that he first of all helps us finish up what has been a really consistent couple of years on the Test front by trying to win the World Test Championship and then shift that focus really quickly to the Ashes,” Bailey said.

England’s strength is undoubtedly their pace attack with James Anderson, Warner’s nemesis Stuart Broad – who dismissed him seven times in 2019, Ollie Robinson, Jofra Archer and Mark Wood set to be rotated through the five matches to ensure Stokes has plenty of firepower at his disposal before bringing himself on for short attacking spells. 

Bailey indicated Warner would open the innings against India at The Oval but when asked if he was a lock to start the Ashes series, he replied: “Not specifically to David, I think we will get through that Test championship and then we’ll obviously be planning behind the scenes but have a look at what that [Ashes XI] looks like as we get there. 

“It’s a different opposition and a different surface in terms of going from The Oval to start the Ashes so we’ll work through that. 

“I think the way we’re looking at that [line-up in England] is it’s a culmination of what’s been a pretty consistent two years for a bunch of guys. Fundamentally it’s been a pretty similar team for a long period of time so we’re confident that’s a team, that’s a make-up that can have success.”

Bailey added that Renshaw had been chosen not only as a back-up opener but also a potential middle-order option despite a rough time at No.5 in India where he was dismissed cheaply three times in his least-favoured role in spinning conditions. 

However, he did say Renshaw’s recent efforts opening for Australia A on the tour of New Zealand, which included two hundreds and a quick-fire 78, had given extra impetus to his top-order selection chances.

“I think he provides good flexibility for us, we like the skill set that he brings through the middle,” he said. 

Matthew Renshaw. (Photo by Michael Dodge/Getty Images)

“You’ve got three guys I think around that are pushing their claim to grab an opportunity should it arise at the top of the top of the order,” he added, in reference to Bancroft’s form as the leading Sheffield Shield run-scorer as well. 

He gave short shrift to Stokes’ comments about England rolling out fast, flat decks and whether that would help Warner, saying they’d worry about that when they get there. 

The topic of Bazball and England’s ultra-aggressive approach seemed to irk Bailey when a reporter in the Zoom scrum asked about the teams that Australia have feared in the past being the ones that can take games away from them quickly. 

“Your words, I’m not sure that we’ve feared teams in the past,” he responded. “Clearly they’re playing some really good cricket so we’ll deal with that as you do with any team when you get there, but I think our focus will be primarily on the way that we want to play.”