New Delhi, Feb 26 (IANS) Former Australia captain Mark Taylor has urged the selectors ‘to make a decision’ on David Warner’s future as a Test opener. Warner, 36, flew home this week from India after suffering from a concussion and elbow fracture during the first innings of the second Test in New Delhi.
In the first two matches of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India, Warner had returned scores of one, 10, and 15 in the first two Test matches, and was unable to give Australia the start they needed. Moreover, the low scores mean his Test average in India has dropped to 21.78 from 10 matches.
Australia’s next Test tour will be to England for the Ashes apart from a potential World Test Championship (WTC) final, where Warner averages only 26.04. He will be haunted by an unimpressive Ashes in 2019, where he averaged only 9.5.
“Is it time to start thinking about the future? You don’t normally do it around Ashes time, normally you would do it post-Ashes. Normally you take a very settled side to England, with maybe one batter you think is going to be your future, and that’s the side you pick. We’re not quite there at the moment and they’re not sure which way they are going to go,” Taylor was quoted as saying by Nine’s Sports Sunday show.
The other opening contenders include Matthew Renshaw, who has struggled for runs in India. Then, back home, Cameron Bancroft has slammed four Sheffield Shield centuries in the ongoing season.
“Dave has come out and said he wants to be around until 2024, so he wants to go to England later this year, he wants to play in Australia next summer. So he has really thrown the ball over to (selectors) George Bailey, Tony Dodemaide, (and captain) Pat Cummins, the selectors to say ‘OK what do you want to do?’.”
“To me, the selectors have got to make a decision. Whether they take David Warner and one of probably Bancroft or Renshaw to England, and Dave would be the first opener picked.”
“Or they make a decision now and say righto, we’re going to take the two younger guys… we’re going to make a change right now. That’s the decision they’ve got to make. Dave has said, ‘OK, over to you, I am available, I want to play’,?” concluded Taylor.
–IANS
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