Test great declares David Warner a 'lock' for home series

David Warner may have made unwanted history in England, but the out-of-sorts opener's spot is secured for Australia's summer Test series.

That's the opinion of former Aussie captain Ricky Ponting, who's declared Warner "a lock" for the first Test against Pakistan starting at the Gabba on November 12.

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Warner made just 95 runs across 10 innings in England, which is the lowest ever total for an opener playing in a five-Test series.

That paltry total was only made marginally more palatable by the opener's solitary half century of the series - a battling 61 runs in the third Test.

Warner endured a torrid time as an opener in Australia’s batting order, becoming the first cricketer in Test history to be dismissed for a single-digit score eight times in one series.

It's led to growing calls for the veteran batsman to be dropped, with former England great Kevin Pietersen calling his worrying form slump "potentially Test career-threatening".

The 32-year-old finished his final innings of this year’s series with just 11 runs after again being undone by Broad.

Warner was unable to end a miserable series with the bat on a high note, edging Broad to Rory Burns in the slips and departing to a chorus of boos.

It led to Pietersen's brutal analysis of Warner’s sub-par performances.

“Watch[ed] Warner’s innings earlier,” Pietersen wrote on Twitter.

“If he doesn’t learn very quickly to come forward and hit the ball straight back at the stumps and score straight through mid-wicket, it’s a HUGE problem and potentially Test career-threatening!”

The series' standout batsman Steve Smith and the breakout star for Australia, Marnus Labuschagne are certainties to keep their spot in Australia's XI.

Matthew Wade's century in the fifth Test should be enough to see the Tasmania batsman keep his spot.

With few other batsmen making it difficult for selectors to consider dropping them, Ponting says he's certain Warner will retain his spot.

“Warner’s going to be a lock... he’s going to be a lock for the Australian summer,” Ponting told Cricket.com.au

“(Marcus) Harris has looked tested against good quality fast bowling in this series. (Tim) Paine will continue as the captain but there are a few spots in the batting order that they’ll be thinking about for the Pakistan series,” Ponting added.

The former captain suggested selectors may look to 21-year-old star Will Pucovski as a long-term solution to their current batting predicament.

"Everyone's talked about him for a long time. He was in the Test squad back in Australia, he was in the Australia A squad over here.

"A couple of years before the next Ashes series you want to try and blood someone in that No.6 role and he'd be the obvious candidate."

Pucovski rocketed into calculations after playing a starring role in Victoria's Sheffield Shield success, which included three centuries.

Ponting said before the second innings of the fifth Test that questions still remained about Wade’s place in Australia’s middle order.

Wade shores up his place in Aussie middle order

However, the 31-year-old let his bat do the talking with a composed century that shored up his spot in Australia's unsettled top six.

As teammates folded at the Oval and Australia suffered a 135-run loss on Sunday, Wade became the first player from either side to reach three figures in the final Ashes Test.

The Tasmanian's gutsy knock of 117 failed to conjure a miraculous victory but it all but ensured he will be part of selectors' plans for the home summer.

"That's a long way away ... I feel like I've shown in the heat of the battle, in a tough series against world-class bowlers, that I can stand up against them," Wade said.

His second ton of the series came after a spirited battle with express paceman Jofra Archer, the flashpoint of which came when the pair stood face to face.

Archer gave Hobart Hurricanes teammate Wade some unsolicited advice after tea, while Jonny Bairstow made his thoughts about the veteran clear in the morning session.

"Come on Leachy, let's have the s*** stirrer," Bairstow quipped.

Ben Stokes and Joe Root were among England's fielders to offer some golf claps when Wade reached his milestone, clipping a ball off his pads then scuttling through for a quick single.

Wade's near-constant chirp from short leg has been one of the soundtracks of this English summer.

"He's a great player, combative, cops a lot of stick for how much he says on the field," Tim Paine said.

"But it's one thing to talk ... as Matthew Wade has done his whole career, he also walks the walk."

The 31-year-old, who has reinvited himself as a specialist batsman since being dumped as Test keeper in 2017, suggested the issue of sledging has been overplayed in this Ashes.

"There was no abuse throughout this series - it was hard Test cricket," Wade said.

"It's been a tame series compared to other series I've played in.

"Once you walk off the ground, all is forgotten ... whatever happens on the ground, stays on the ground."

With AAP