Australia’s head coach, Andrew McDonald, has hinted that replacing David Warner may not be a straight like-for-like replacement, suggesting that the order may be reshuffled to accommodate Cameron Green.
Green was dropped for the final Ashes Test at The Oval and is set to be left out of the XI when the Pakistan series begins next month, but McDonald reiterated that he is a “generational” talent who won’t be out of the side for long.
If injuries don’t arise during the Pakistan series – and there are still concerns about the strain on Mitchell Marsh’s health – the first vacancy might arise following Warner’s Test retirement, which he has scheduled for the SCG Test in early January.
It was commonly thought that his replacement would be one of Cameron Bancroft, Marcus Harris, or Matt Renshaw, but McDonald cited other instances when an Australia top order was altered with players taking on new responsibilities.
“What does Cam Green’s future look like in the Test team? Is it a matter of waiting for Mitch to finish or could there be another spot that opens up over time?” McDonald told SEN radio. “He has batted at six for most of his Test cricket, but he has been a fantastic number four for WA and averages close to 50 in Shield cricket.”There is always the idea that you can potentially shift the order to make room to put your best six batters, or what you see as best six batters, in a certain order.”
If a batsman is shifted to a new position for the January series against the West Indies, the most likely – and simplest – option would be for Marnus Labuschagne to go up one spot, followed by Steven Smith returning to No. 3. Travis Head might be promoted by a more unconventional route, though given his destructiveness at No. 5, this is unlikely.
“We’ve seen that before in Australian cricket,” McDonald added. “David Boon progressed from three to opening.” Justin Langer advanced from three to the starting position. Shane Watson went from number six to number one.
“There has been the ability to reshuffle and be successful in doing so.” But that will have to wait till the first Test match in Perth.”
Warner is set to be awarded his final Test series against Pakistan, albeit his name has still to be confirmed, with the squad scheduled to be announced early next week.
When asked if Warner deserved a swansong series, Test skipper Pat Cummins, who is not a selector, hailed Warner as a multiformat great but noted that performance remained top in the selection criteria. Warner has averaged 28.90 in Tests since 2021, with one century – the MCG double century last season with his 100th match.
“He’s a great player in all formats for us.” So, without a question, that’s a factor,” he remarked. “First and foremost you think of the performance side of things when you are picking a side.”
Green, who is currently playing in the Sheffield Shield against Queensland and will play for the Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra, might be named as a spare batter in the first team of the season. After 24 Tests, Green has an average of 33.69 with the bat and 36.03 with the ball. He hit his first century earlier this year in Ahmedabad, but has since produced 134 runs at 19.14. He has decided not to play in the BBL this season following a stressful year in which he has rarely been home and to work on his red-ball talents.
Bancroft, Harris, and Renshaw will have another first-class opportunity after the current round of Shield matches, which are the last before the BBL break, when they encounter Pakistan for the PM’s XI.
Bancroft has the most impressive season statistics, as he did last summer, but Harris has been a regular spare batter in Australia squads over the last 18 months, and Renshaw is a versatile player who struggled on his return to the Test side in the middle order earlier this year, albeit in difficult conditions in India.
