Chief selector George Bailey has refused to guarantee that David Warner is a lock for the first Ashes Test in England, confirming the veteran opener will play the World Test Championship final against India.
On Wednesday, Warner was named in a 17-player squad for this winter’s WTC final and the opening two Ashes Tests against England, with the touring party to be reassessed after the Lord’s fixture.
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The 36-year-old’s recent form has been cause for concern, with the New South Welshman passing fifty just once in his 15 most recent Test knocks – albeit reaching 200 on that lone occasion.
Ahead of his fourth Ashes tour of the United Kingdom, Warner is still searching for his maiden Test century on English soil, having averaged 9.50 during his most recent campaign in 2019.
Speaking to reporters earlier this month, Bailey confessed that Warner, one of the greatest opening batters of the century, was still “at the mercy of selection” despite boasting a stellar career.
“The Ashes is a huge series, and we‘ll be looking to pick our best team,” Bailey said.
“We’re going to have to have our best team playing incredibly well.”
Marcus Harris and Matthew Renshaw, who have both partnered Warner at the top of the order in Tests before, were also named in the Ashes squad following prolific County Championship campaigns in England last year.
However, Bailey suggested that consistency would be a priority for Australia, who topped the World Test Championship final ladder after a dominant 18 months in red-ball cricket, ahead of the must-win final against India.
“(Warner’s) invested and wants to make sure he helps us finish off a couple of consistent years on the Test front by trying to win the World Test Championship final,” Bailey told reporters on Wednesday morning.
“The way we are looking at that is it‘s a culmination of what’s been a pretty consistent two years.
“It‘s been a pretty similar team for a long period of time.
“We are confident that‘s a team and that’s a makeup that can have success.”
However, Bailey flat-batted questions on whether Warner was assured his spot for the highly-anticipated Ashes series opener at Edgbaston, highlighting that “different opposition and different surface” would factor into selection.
“Not specifically to Dave, but I think we‘ll just get through that Test Championship,” Bailey said.
“We‘ll be obviously planning behind the scenes, but we’ll have a look at what that looks like as we get there.
“Different opposition and different surface in terms of going from The Oval to start the Ashes. So we‘ll work through that.
“We’ll wait and see what the conditions hold when we get there.”
The World Test Championship final gets underway at The Oval on June 7, while the first Ashes Test commences at Edgbaston on June 16. A 15-player squad for the India contest will be named on May 28.
Australian Test Squad
Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Todd Murphy, Matthew Renshaw, Steve Smith (vc), Mitchell Starc, David Warner
