Whether David Warner will be allowed to decide how his Test cricket career will finish or if the selectors will decide for him over the coming few months is still up in the air.
He seems set to start in the World Test Championship final against India at The Oval in early June, but it’s unclear how much more he will play after that, including in the Ashes.
Warner’s inclusion on the CA’s central contract list on Thursday came as no surprise, but national selector George Bailey noted that it covered all formats.
Warner will continue to play a significant role in this year’s ODI World Cup and likely the 2024 T20 World Cup, which could be his final tournament on the international stage.
“We’re three formats across all of those contracts. Trying to fit that in is first and foremost, the job,” Bailey said. “But I think Dave, like any player is, is at the mercy of selection.
“The Ashes is a huge series. And we’ll be looking to pick our best team. We’re going to have to have our best team playing incredibly well too, to challenge England over there the way they’re playing.”
Bailey agreed with head coach Andrew McDonald’s remarks at the conclusion of the India tour, which did not guarantee Warner a spot in the Ashes.
“The point Andrew was making is that it’s a different team, different way of playing,” Bailey said of the WTC final. “So I support Andrew’s comments about David.”
Warner’s magnificent double century against South Africa just four Tests ago is an exception in his pattern over the past three years, during which time he has averaged 29.48 runs. The 2019 Ashes, in which he averaged 9.50, also hung over him.
During the most recent tour of India, he failed to create an impression in any of his first three innings before being substituted out of the second Test due to a concussion and left the country with an elbow fracture.
Although he acknowledged that events might be beyond his control, Warner felt optimistic about his future when he got home. He is off to a strong start for Delhi Capitals in the IPL.
“I’ve always said I’m playing until 2024; if the selectors feel that I’m not worthy of my spot, then so be it, and I can push on to the white-ball stuff,” he said in February.
Ricky Ponting indicated last month that Warner’s chances of winning the Ashes could depend on how he performs in the WTC final. He also suggested that Warner might have been better off quitting after his home Test at the SCG after the Melbourne double century.
How Warner’s Test career unfolds will also be interesting to watch, as will the process used to choose Australia’s Ashes team.
The tour will essentially be broken into two sets of three games, the first of which will include the WTC final and need the selection of a smaller group of 15 players in late May. The selectors will then review the situation following the second Ashes Test at Lord’s.
“We’ll have more information on how the team’s going, the results of the first couple of Ashes Tests, what the brand of cricket looks like and an opportunity to review any changes that will need to be made,”
Bailey said.
There will be an opening vacancy sooner rather than later, and another perhaps not too long after that depending on how long Usman Khawaja’s amazing late-career surge lasts, regardless of whether Warner’s Test career concludes in England or he plays in the upcoming Australia season.
Marcus Harris is in a strong position to take on one of those duties after being chosen over Matt Renshaw on the central contract list.
Harris averages 25.29 throughout the course of 14 Test matches. Like Warner, Harris struggled mightily in England during the 2019 Ashes, but he has since made a significant effort to improve his game.
One match after battling difficult circumstances at the MCG for 76, he was unfortunate to lose his spot during the 2021–22 Ashes when Khawaja had to be accommodated.
Given how his recent months have played out, Renshaw can consider himself a little unlucky on this particular instance.
He was in excellent first-class shape prior to the BBL break and was selected for a Test at the SCG, but due to a number of circumstances, he had very little opportunity to play in the middle after that, as he mentioned after scoring a century for Australia A in Lincoln.
“It feels really strange saying four months was four [first-class] bats, but that’s the way cricket can be,” he said.
The other batter that gets a lot of attention is Cameron Bancroft, who has scored a lot of runs in the Sheffield Shield this year. There is a good likelihood that players not on the contract list will be taken into consideration if returns remain strong.
“I agree with WA coach Adam Voges, he said post the final that he thinks Cam Bancroft is batting as well as he’s ever seen,” Bailey said. “Think we’d agree with that as a panel as well, so really excited by the form that he’s in and really glad he’s over in England playing.
“Matt [Renshaw] was putting a really compelling case at the top of the order as well early on in the year for Queensland then by virtue of being away in India didn’t get much of an opportunity in the back half of the year.
“Not being rude to Usman or Dave, but there’s no doubt those two are probably closer to the end than start of their careers so we are going to need some depth and need all three of those guys performing really well for us. Hopefully they will make our decisions incredibly challenging over the next little while.”