Warner woes: should he play in the Ashes?
Two weeks ago, Australia released their 17-man squad ahead of the Ashes series in England. As expected, David Warner, rightfully considered one of the best batsmen of his era, was included despite his poor form. The decision has been criticised by many fans, writers and former players who have pointed to his recent struggles in India and woeful series last time Australia played England away from home.
In three tests against India, he averaged just nine and has averaged below 30 in his last 14 matches, far less than his career average of 45.6. His IPL form has also been hard to ignore. Despite being among the top run scorers, his batting has lacked any fluidity. It has been hard to watch at times, even as an England fan.
Watching on, I have often been left thinking it would be better for his side if he got out rather than waste balls. A strike rate of around 120 highlights the demise of the opener, once famed for his destructive hitting. While in a different format, his T20 woes are concerning.
At 36 it is unclear whether Warner's decline is a temporary lapse in form or simply a sign of an ageing cricketer past his best. Ricky Ponting's general rule of thumb suggests very few cricketers improve beyond 33. Furthermore, to add to his woeful recent form is the fact that even at his peak he has never been very successful in England.
Warner is yet to score a century in England, and in the 2019 Ashes series, he averaged just 9.5, the lowest of any player to have batted in 10 innings in a series. He will surely have been left with nightmares of Stuart Broad bounding into bowl from around the wicket. There are few reasons to believe this series will be any different. As a result, his test future remains far from certain.
Whilst chief selector George Bailey confirmed Warner would open in the Test Championship Final at the Oval on June 7th, he refused to commit when asked whether he would be selected for the start of the Ashes. Instead, Bailey said, “we'll have a look at what that looks like as we get there.” The inclusion of four openers, with Matthew Renshaw and Marcus Harris as two options to come in, further suggests a lack of confidence in Warner.
A surprise inclusion in Cricket Australia's annual contract list, Marcus Harris is most likely to replace Warner should the selectors choose to drop him if he fails against India. Victorian coach Chris Rodgers recently claimed Harris is ‘as ready as he's ever going to be' to play Ashes cricket. Having averaged over 50 and scored seven centuries in county cricket since the 2019 tour, it is hard to disagree.
Experience in English conditions could prove invaluable for the opener should he get an opportunity. However, Harris is far from an established test opener, averaging just over 25 in his 14 test matches. In 2019 he fared little better than Warner, averaging 9.66 from his three appearances. Likewise, Matthew Renshaw averaged under 30 during his stint in the test team.
Neither are proven alternatives at the test match level. It is far from guaranteed they would perform much better than Warner of late. In a recent interview, Candice Warner suggested as much, asking, “If Dave doesn't perform in that first Test, who do they bring in that's better?” Without a proven replacement for Warner, Australia are best served sticking with the veteran opener in the hope that he can rediscover something nearing his best form.
As Ricky Ponting pointed out when speaking about Virat Kohli during his troubles with the bat, “You never write off champion players.” Perhaps Warner should have retired before questions were raised over his future. A player who has never shied away from controversy, Warner continues to defy convention. An unsavoury fall from grace awaits unless his performances improve.
Nonetheless, Australia must give Warner the opportunity to end his career on his terms. Whether he deserves as much based on recent performances is debatable. However, a lack of alternatives means betting on the out-of-form Warner remains their best option.
