David Warner’s Ashes dream is still alive with selectors to name the veteran in the squad for Australia’s defence of the urn this winter.
Cricket Australia will on Wednesday name a 17- or 18-man touring party for the World Test Championship final and the first two Ashes Tests. Selectors can alter the squad for the final three Tests of the Ashes, as they did for the second half of the series in India. They are not required to name a final squad of 15 for the WTC final until May 28.
David Warner will be named in Australia’s Ashes squad.Credit: Getty
Despite a lengthy run of outs in the baggy green, Warner is tipped to keep his place in the XI for the final against India at The Oval, starting June 7, but his selection for the first Ashes Test days later may depend on how he performs in the decider. He could have both Marcus Harris and Matt Renshaw breathing down his neck.
Warner, who missed the last two Tests against India due to injury, is in a lengthy lean trot, averaging 26 in 14 Tests stretching back to the start of 2021. In 24 innings in that period, he has made just one century – an epic 200 in his 100th Test on Boxing Day – and passed 50 on only two other occasions.
Encouragingly, the 36-year-old is among the leading run-scorers in this year’s Indian Premier League, with 228 at 45.6, but has been criticised for a slow scoring rate.
Warner has struggled in English conditions, averaging 26 in 13 Tests and failing to score a century across three Ashes campaigns. Four years ago, he was tormented by Stuart Broad, who dismissed him seven times in 10 innings in a series where he managed just 95 runs.
Harris will be picked as a spare batter after selectors showed their hand earlier this month by naming him in Cricket Australia’s 24-man contract list for 2023/24.
Like Warner, he also struggled in 2019 when he made 58 at 9.66 in three games, but has since performed well at county level, including scores of 59 and 148 for Gloucestershire two weeks ago.
Renshaw is also in the frame if there is an 18th spot despite his failure in India. There are some in high circles of Australian cricket who believe the Queenslander’s technique is better suited than that of Harris and Cameron Bancroft to stand up to the swinging and seaming Dukes ball in English conditions against James Anderson, Stuart Broad and co.
Scott Boland, Michael Neser and uncapped speedster Lance Morris will go as back-up to the established pace trio of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc. With six Tests in eight weeks, Australia will almost certainly rotate their pace battalion, as they did in 2019 when Peter Siddle and James Pattinson played three and two games respectively.
There have been whispers that Morris is nursing a stress fracture in his back but multiple sources with knowledge of the matter say this is not the case. They say his issue is back soreness and bone bruising.
After an impressive debut series in India, off-spinner Todd Murphy will be a shadow for Nathan Lyon, and uncapped wicketkeeper Josh Inglis the understudy to Alex Carey.
Australia did not take a second specialist gloveman to England last time when they had former keeper Matthew Wade in the squad as a frontline batter available to take the gloves in case of a last-minute injury.
Ashes squad: David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Matthew Renshaw, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Scott Boland, Michael Neser, Lance Morris, Nathan Lyon, Todd Murphy.
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