Cameron Bancroft responds to Andrew McDonald's big call on David Warner replacement

Cameron Bancroft says a specialist opener is needed to take over from the retiring David Warner, insisting that experience at the top of the order is crucial. Australia named an unchanged 13-man squad for next week's third Test against Pakistan at the SCG, but D-day is coming as Warner is set to bid farewell to the Test stage.

Bancroft is widely regarded as the leading contender to replace the retiring opener, with selectors set to make a decision ahead of the Adelaide Test against West Indies on January 17. Both Marcus Harris and Matt Renshaw are also in contention but the West Australian is seen by many as the front-runner for a Test recall with 512 runs from just nine innings for Western Australia in the Sheffield Shield this summer.

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But Australian coach Andrew McDonald floated on Saturday that Cameron Green could be the man called in to replace Warner, a call that Bancroft says would be a mistake. "I've opened the batting in Shield cricket for over 10 years. It's not an easy place to bat," he told AAP.

"It comes with challenges, and my whole career I've problem-solved trying to find ways to flourish in those sort of circumstances. Some players have switched and gone and opened the batting and done really well. But not everyone puts their hand up to go and open the batting. I feel like it probably is a specialist position and it's certainly a really challenging one. But a very rewarding one as well."

Bancroft was the leading run-scorer in last summer's Sheffield Shield with 945 runs at an average of 59.06 and is top of the charts again this season. The opener is desperate to earn a recall to the Test side and says he will do whatever is required to earn his spot in the side.

"I've had some conversations (with selectors) over the last 12 months or so and asked some questions about what I can do to improve," Bancroft said. "I'm always looking to improve and get better. I wanted that feedback from them. But I guess it always comes down to scoring runs, so I've just tried to go out and do the best I can no matter what format of the game that I've been playing."

Andrew McDonald believes Cam Green could be the right man for the job

After a selection meeting on Saturday, McDonald hinted that Green is in line to potentially leapfrog the three specialist openers and claim Warner's place in the side despite never batting at the top of the order in red-ball cricket. The West Australian was used as an opener for Australia in a T20 series in India in 2022 but has spent most of his Shield career deployed at No.4 for WA and has batted for Australia at No.6.

McDonald previously said he believes Green could also make his way into the side by pushing Marnus Labuschagne from first drop to opener. "All angles will be considered. There's four people that are being discussed, and they’ll be the ones who are taking up our time as we lead into that West Indies game," McDonald told ABC radio. “In the last 30 years, I think there’s been 30-odd openers, and 50 per cent of them have come from a non-traditional opening background.

"If that’s anything to go by, there is the potential to be able to rejig your order. That’s not to dismiss the value of a tried and tested opener who’s done it over a period of time. We'll consider all those options and angles and work out what that looks like for us. I think the way this team operates ... if they were asked to do something, they’d jump at it for the team. It’s a pretty selfless group."

- with AAP

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