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David Warner‘s future in Test cricket appears to be limited. The Australia cricketer, who has been grappling with a slump in form during recent months in the longer format of the game, has openly conveyed his intention to retire from Test matches in the upcoming home season. Warner’s aspiration is to conclude his Test career on a high note, bidding farewell in front of his hometown crowd in Sydney after the New Year’s Test against Pakistan.
Although Warner’s performance in Test games has faltered recently, he has undeniably been a crucial asset to Australia’s Test squad since making his debut in 2011. Accumulating an impressive record of 105 Test matches played for his country, the southpaw has achieved over 8000 runs, including 25 centuries and 34 half-centuries. Nevertheless, his selection for the upcoming Test series against Pakistan is not a certainty due to his 2023 batting average of 22.80. This predicament leaves a potential opportunity for another player to emerge before the Sydney Test.
In anticipation of such a scenario, Australia A coach Adam Voges has indicated that potential contenders for the position are readily identifiable.
Voges pinpoints three propitious candidates
Voges has highlighted that the impending retirement of Warner from Test cricket has triggered a competitive battle to secure the opening partner spot alongside Usman Khawaja,
The 43-year-old mentioned that Marcus Harris, Matthew Renshaw, and Cameron Bancroft have emerged as the primary contenders for this role, effectively positioning themselves “at the forefront of the competition,”.
Bancroft has been included in the Australia A squad scheduled to face New Zealand A in a series of two four-day fixtures starting from August 28. While Harris and Renshaw, who were both part of Australia’s recent Ashes squad, will not be participating in the upcoming red-ball games, Renshaw is slated to feature in the subsequent three one-day matches.
“I think just through (recent) history of selection, that’s probably a fair assumption (on the trio leading the race),” Voges was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.
“With Harris the spare batter over in the UK, with Renshaw being over there as well and the runs Cameron has scored in the last 12 months, I think all three have put themselves probably at the head of the queue for the vacant spot we know is coming,” the Subiaco-born added.
Voges further emphasized that there are Australia A games and six Shield cricket matches lined up before the Test summer. This presents a significant opportunity for those three individuals to showcase their abilities and outshine their competition.
“What we do have is these Australia A games plus six games of Shield cricket to be played before we get to the Test summer, and that will be a great opportunity for all three of those guys to really put their hand up and stick their neck out ahead of the others,” Voges concluded.
