Cricket Australia's chairman of selectors George Bailey has given the biggest indication yet that David Warner may be on the outer of the Australian squad as preparation begins for this year's Ashes series.
Warner has struggled for form recently, scoring only one century in the last three years and is under increasing pressure to remain on top of the order in Australia's Test side.
As expected, the prolific opener was included in the 24-man Australian contract list on Thursday but Bailey has provided no guarantees towards his spot in the side.
READ MORE: F1 team embroiled in $220 million stoush
READ MORE: 'Awful': Freddy's rocket for misfiring guns
READ MORE: Norman fumes at 'petty' Augusta National snub
"Dave, like any player, is at the mercy of selection," he said.
"The Ashes is a huge series, and we'll be looking to pick our best team. We're going to have to have our best team playing incredibly well."
Joining Warner on the contract list was surprise inclusion Marcus Harris, who beat fellow contenders Matt Renshaw and Cameron Bancroft for a spot.
Before the Ashes takes place, Australia will play India at The Oval in June for the World Test Championship trophy.
Bailey confirmed Warner is a likely inclusion for that match, after coach Andrew McDonald said he's in their plans for the decider.
"I think the point Andrew was making was it [India] is a different team with a different way of playing, so I support Andrew's comments on that around David," he said.
"It's going to be very challenging. England are playing some incredible cricket, so the team and the squad that we picked for that tour are going to need to be at their absolute best."
Warner's opening partner Usman Khawaja, on the other hand, is a guarantee for selection after a blistering tour of India, with the Pakistan-born left-hander scoring 528 already runs this year at 75.42.
Despite his form, Bailey predicted the conclusion of both Khawaja and Warner's careers won't be too far off, with Renshaw, Harris and Bancroft all part of future plans.
"There's no doubt, and not being rude towards Usman or Dave, those two are probably closer to the end than the start of their careers, so we're going to need some depth," he said.
"We're going to need all three of those guys performing really well for us, and hopefully, they make our decisions incredibly challenging over the next little while."
Boom off-spinner Todd Murphy was also included in the contract list, along with uncapped paceman Lance Morris for the first time.
Cricket Australia contracted men's players: Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Lance Morris, Todd Murphy, Michael Neser, Jhye Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa
For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!
Cricket Australia's chairman of selectors George Bailey has given the biggest indication yet that David Warner may be on the outer of the Australian squad as preparation begins for this year's Ashes series.
Warner has struggled for form recently, scoring only one century in the last three years and is under increasing pressure to remain on top of the order in Australia's Test side.
As expected, the prolific opener was included in the 24-man Australian contract list on Thursday but Bailey has provided no guarantees towards his spot in the side.
READ MORE: F1 team embroiled in $220 million stoush
READ MORE: 'Awful': Freddy's rocket for misfiring guns
READ MORE: Norman fumes at 'petty' Augusta National snub
"Dave, like any player, is at the mercy of selection," he said.
"The Ashes is a huge series, and we'll be looking to pick our best team. We're going to have to have our best team playing incredibly well."
Joining Warner on the contract list was surprise inclusion Marcus Harris, who beat fellow contenders Matt Renshaw and Cameron Bancroft for a spot.
Before the Ashes takes place, Australia will play India at The Oval in June for the World Test Championship trophy.
Bailey confirmed Warner is a likely inclusion for that match, after coach Andrew McDonald said he's in their plans for the decider.
"I think the point Andrew was making was it [India] is a different team with a different way of playing, so I support Andrew's comments on that around David," he said.
"It's going to be very challenging. England are playing some incredible cricket, so the team and the squad that we picked for that tour are going to need to be at their absolute best."
Warner's opening partner Usman Khawaja, on the other hand, is a guarantee for selection after a blistering tour of India, with the Pakistan-born left-hander scoring 528 already runs this year at 75.42.
Despite his form, Bailey predicted the conclusion of both Khawaja and Warner's careers won't be too far off, with Renshaw, Harris and Bancroft all part of future plans.
"There's no doubt, and not being rude towards Usman or Dave, those two are probably closer to the end than the start of their careers, so we're going to need some depth," he said.
"We're going to need all three of those guys performing really well for us, and hopefully, they make our decisions incredibly challenging over the next little while."
Boom off-spinner Todd Murphy was also included in the contract list, along with uncapped paceman Lance Morris for the first time.
Cricket Australia contracted men's players: Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Lance Morris, Todd Murphy, Michael Neser, Jhye Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa
For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!
https://ift.tt/RpcAtxI//
No comments:
Post a Comment