It’s always a stress when a champion retires, especially when that champion is hard to replace. How do you substitute Shane Warne, for instance?
Or Glenn McGrath, or Adam Gilchrist, or Don Bradman, or Greg Chappell, or Meg Lanning?
Well, the thing about stress is that it can cause bad decision-making. I hope we don’t go through that with David Warner.
Warner is one of Australia’s all-time greatest Test openers, a genius on southern hemisphere pitches, absolutely fine north of the equator. His stats are amazing but even they don’t tell the whole story. I remember watching him at the Gabba in 2020-21 and while it was Travis Head who made hay with his 152, it was Warner’s opening knock of 94 that set it all up.
In white-ball cricket, of course, Warner is an immortal.
So, I get the prospect of replacing him is scary, especially as there’s no obvious heir apparent, not with Will Pucovski seemingly ruled out of contention.
There are three frontrunners, apparently: Matt Renshaw, Marcus Harris, and Cameron Bancroft. All have been picked in the Australia A side. All have Test experience. All have done well and not so well. All have had quite a few chances – so many that it must make players like Glenn Maxwell have a little sigh.
Matt Renshaw of Australia walks off after he was dismissed by Ravindra Jadeja of India. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)
People will have their favourites among these three, most likely depending on what state they come from. And the Australia A game is seemingly going to be a “bat off” to see who will partner Usman Khawaja.
My favorite?
None of them.
Sorry. I can’t excited about any of the three. Renshaw has been dealt with unfairly in the past but not so much now. I mean, I hope he proves me wrong, but he’s had his chances since then, domestically and internationally.
We should think about promoting Marnus Labuschagne. His Test form hasn’t dropped off so much as adjusted to a level more in line with his first class ability. Which, since that is mid-40s, is absolutely fine. And No.3 to opener isn’t much of a jump. Except when it is.
No.6 to opener can be a jump. Except when it isn’t.
That’s the thing about opening. Some batters are career openers (Geoff Boycott, Matthew Hayden) but others weren’t. You can never really tell.
Bob Simpson didn’t start out as an opener. Neither did Geoff Marsh, or David Boon, or Simon Katich or Shane Watson. You don’t have to go to Openers University. First class experience can be useful but isn’t essential.
What you do need, it seems, are the right technique, the right temperament – and the right partner.
Of all the “marriages” in a cricket side (bowler-keeper, captain-vice captain, spinner-keeper, captain-coach), one of the most important is that between opening partners.
Mark Taylor, great a player as he was, only really thrived as an opener when partnered with Geoff Marsh and Michael Slater; he didn’t do so well with Matthew Elliott and Hayden.
Shane Watson flourished with Simon Katich but struggled without him. Some excellent openers (such as Bruce Laird) never seemed to find Mr Right. Conversely, other openers seemed fine whoever they played with (like Warner).
And here’s the thing… no one knows.
You can’t predict how openers will work. Best laid plans get thrown out the window.
Everyone expected Mark Taylor’s partner in the 1993 Ashes would be Matt Hayden but then Slater swooped in. Everyone thought Slater and Hayden would be a long-term marriage but Slater imploded and then in came Langer and he and Hayden became a legendary romance.
Justin Langer and Matthew Hayden. (Photo by Hamish Blair/Getty Images)
Watson was envisioned as a middle order batter but got the chance to open in 2009 as a Hail Mary pitch because of his bowling… and unexpectedly thrived due to Katich and not having to wait to go out to bat.
Further back, Geoff Marsh and David Boon became an all-time great opening combination in 1985-86 – but only after Australia had experimented over the previous two years with Wessels-Phillips, Smith-Wessels, Smith-Wood, Phillips-Ritchie, Phillips-Smith, Phillips-Matthews, Wessels-Dyson, Wood-Dyson, Hilditch-Wood, Wessels-Hilditch, Hilditch-Matthews, Phillips-Kerr, and Phillips-Boon.
I admit it’s low-hanging fruit to mock mid-’80s Australian cricket selections but one can never be reminded too many times that Greg Matthews opened the batting for Australia in two Test matches.
So, what am I saying?
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It’s this – don’t stress too much about who is going to replace Warner. Because (a) you can’t, not really, he was a unicorn, and (b) you can’t pick it when it comes to openers.
I’d like them to give Marnus a go, but I could be wrong. Peter Handscomb should try opening for Victoria, to see how he goes in that position, but I could be wrong about that, too. I don’t think it’s worth trying Travis Head (ODIs yes, Tests no) but, look, I could be wrong about that.
All I know is I want to have a top six where batters average at least 39 in first class cricket. Aaron Hardie yes, Mitch Marsh no. (Yes, he got that century, but he was overdue. He’s done it before. And reverted to type before. Anyway, this column isn’t about him.)
Just ask Usman who he’d like to open with out of that bunch and see how it goes.
Oh, and P.S., pick Maxwell.
Micko
Roar Rookie
Always thought Marnus could've been promoted to open for a couple of years.
jammel
Roar Rookie
— COMMENT DELETED —
jammel
Roar Rookie
Yeah, I'd give Renshaw/Harris/Bancroft a go first. Immediately post-Warner/Uzzie, I see our top six as follows: Renshaw Bancroft Marnus Green Smithie Head(C)
The Idiot
Roar Rookie
Well said - agree with everything except Maxwell - he is another Marsh - not good enough for test cricket. I like Marnus to open with Green (who should not have been dropped) at 3 and Hardie at 6
DTM
Roar Rookie
I'm getting a bit old but qualify under the M rule.
Choppy Zezers
Roar Rookie
Mitchell Marsh can bat on his own or make it that every run he scores counts as two. "Mitch Marsh launches that high into the crowd. Thats even bigger than the last 12 he hit"
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
Kellaway is not a Victorian. Your blindness is making you say silly things.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
Except Hardie didn't bat in the top 6 much. He was just chasing quick runs at the end of an innings. WA is so strong, they struggle to play him higher. Now, with Sean Marsh retired there is more opportunity. Certainly a 30 run average on top of his white ball excellence marks him as an outstanding prospect. You might be the only cricket fan in the country that hasn't yet seen his ability.
Michael Coote
Roar Rookie
If we are going to start regarding 378 runs@29.07 by a top 6 batsman playing for the number 1 Shield side as being a successful summer then God help Australian Cricket and only 4 others batted more often for WA last summer. Hardie had a successful Marsh cup last year? 89 runs @19.66, 4 wkts @34.75 :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: . Also I have a very low opinion of most so called Press "experts" from all parts of Australia and stopped reading Newspapers 10 years ago. I rate Teague Wyllie very highly as a promising young batsman but after a great start, he ended up having a mediocre season, hasn't proven anything yet. What has Kellaway done so far? Very little, lets start seeing some big runs from both before we start calling them the next Ricky Ponting. You want to call the likes of J Sangha, Doran, and Edwards overrated, fine, but until the WA boys start scoring big runs consistently you just look silly.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
Hardie hardly failed; he just wasn’t required to bat. He had a superb summer in the white ball forms. Some of those “promising” types are NSW press promising, not ‘cricket promising’. Chandrasinghe is a bit slow but Wyllie and Kellaway are already beginning to deliver. So is Jack Clayton. If you see green shoots, cultivate them; don’t singe them with expectation…then have to weed them out.
Michael Coote
Roar Rookie
I would have no problem whatsoever if the Selectors decided to drop Warner from the 1st Test against Pakistan, most great players deserve the chance to go out on their own terms, Warner does not, he lost that privilege in Mar 2018. He has no credits left and is now living on the Selectors good will. Most players would have realised by now, it's time to pull the pin and retire.
Michael Coote
Roar Rookie
How to confuse Glenn Maxwell in one easy lesson, show him a red Cricket ball :laughing: , 3 shield matches in the last 4 seasons.
Michael Coote
Roar Rookie
They will all have 6 shield matches (no injuries) to put forward their case as will others, I really hope Wil Pucovski will put pressure on them as well. Ward, Hunt, Street and Whiteman all went backwards last season. The other issue is, there is a month between the last shield match and the first test against the Windies, it would be better if Warner either retired or was pushed out, but I suspect that is not going to happen. At this stage I would give Bancroft the first go, he hasn't played since Lords 2019 where Harris and Renshaw have without any success, and he is a Right Hander.
Michael Coote
Roar Rookie
Totally agree, I see Green as a number 4, but that is not going to happen until Smith retires, and that is not going to fix the issue of not enough runs from the 6-7-8. Hardie lost ground by having a very mediocre 22-23 Shield season, needs to re-find the form he showed in the 21-22 Shield final. Seen to many promising teenage batsman fail to live up to their potential in the last few years, to get too excited about the likes of Wyllie, Kellaway, Chandrasinghe and Davies YET. I want to see some career progression first, there is room for some young batsman to really progress their careers this coming season. For a few years now, too many of our promising young batsman, especially those from NSW have failed to progress as expected.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
Middle order is no issue at all. At the moment, Green's batting is totally misused. He is a long term #3 or #4. It won't happen under Cummins/McDonald but it should. Far better for Oz cricket to depose Cummins/McDonald than to waste a generational star. Along with Green, we have the (possible) resurgent Marsh and the emerging Hardie, Kellaway, Wyllie, Davies types on the way.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
That’s why you pick them when they deserve it. Past form has no bearing on present form. I was expelled from a particularly bogan high school in 1970. In 1975, I had my extended teaching prac at that same school. I had struck form.
Opeo
Roar Rookie
Yeah, 50 is too many, but I do not think Harris, Bancroft, and Renshaw should be written off after 14 tests. Bancroft and Harris world be getting close to their last chances though
matth
Roar Guru
True, it makes selecting a tough gig because so did John Dyson and he was still there after 50 tests.
Opeo
Roar Rookie
Langer, Hayden, Steve Smith, and Steve Waugh all averaged less than 30 after 13 tests.
Omnitrader
Roar Rookie
This summer is the perfect time to tinker with our top order, we're playing the Windies and Pakistan at home and then two away to the kiwis, before 5 tests against India next summer. The selectors need to push warner out and start now!