David Warner is not in Australia’s best Test XI according to Ed Cowan, Warner’s former opening partner for Australia.
Warner’s position has been the major talking point heading into the first Test of Australia’s home summer, against Pakistan at Perth. The left-hander has a formidable career record, but has struggled for form in recent years. He has set his own retirement date from the longest format, planning to conclude his career in the New Year’s Test against Pakistan at the SCG, his home ground. However, there are those who feel time should be called before then.
Former Australia quick Mitchell Johnson has been the loudest dissenter, sparking furore with a column written for the West Australian. “It’s been five years and David Warner has still never really owned the ball-tampering scandal,” he wrote. “Now the way he is going out is underpinned by more of the same arrogance and disrespect to our country. As we prepare for David Warner’s farewell series, can somebody please tell me why?”
Cowan, who played 18 Tests between 2011 and 2013 and opened with Warner in 28 of his 32 innings, criticised the tone of Johnson’s outburst, but felt the vast majority of Australians agreed with its content.
“Mitch Johnson is saying what 90 per cent of people in the pub have been thinking,” he said on The Grandstand Cricket Podcast. “What I didn’t love – I feel like he would have made a more pertinent argument – was the tone. There was a sense of anger or injustice to it. But the actual points around selection, statistically David Warner probably shouldn’t be in the best XI, I think most people agree with.”
Warner has had an eventful career. He served a lengthy ban for his role in the 2018 ball-tampering scandal, but has also had many highs. Only Ricky Ponting has made more than his 48 hundreds for Australia in international cricket, with averages either side of 45 in ODI and Test cricket a marker of his cross-format quality.
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However, only one of Warner’s 25 Test hundreds has come inside the last two years, with the 37-year-old averaging a tick over 30 in that time. Cowan described him as “a walking wicket” and called for Marnus Labuschagne to be promoted from No.3 to opener, a move which would also allow Australia to play both all-rounders, Mitch Marsh and Cameron Green.
“I still think personally the best person for the job is either Marnus or Travis Head,” Cowan said. “That allows you to pick your best six batters with Cameron Green and Mitch Marsh in the team batting at five and six, and it reshapes the team. I don’t think Travis Head would be that keen on [opening], but what [Labuschagne opening] does allow is Steve Smith to bat at three, Travis at four and then your two all-rounders.
“With Marnus opening the batting, he’s walking out at one for none anyway. David Warner has been a walking wicket for two years now. At least he knows when he’s going to bat, he can prepare and go out and bat. It’s not a big leap to go from batting at three to opening the batting.”
The first Test against Pakistan starts on December 14.
