George Bailey's key David Warner admission ahead of Ashes

David Warner's position as Test opener is no longer his to lose, chairman of selectors George Bailey says, in the latest sign the veteran's spot is not assured for the Ashes. The remaining spot accompanying Usman Khawaja remains open, with Warner likely needing a big innings in the upcoming World Test Championship final against India to maintain his standing.

As for the Ashes, Bailey said Warner will have to earn his place in the team saying he would be 'at the mercy of selection' like 'any other player'. A disappointing home summer for Warner, save for a double century in the Boxing Day Test, was compounded by similar struggles during the first two Tests in India before he was ruled out of the final two matches of the Border-Gavaskar series through injury.

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Australia deployed Travis Head alongside Khawaja to some success in those final two Tests, however it was announced on Thursday that former Test opener Marcus Harris had been awarded a new contract with Cricket Australia. With some of Warner's historical struggles in England in mind, Bailey said there would be healthy competition for the opening spot.

“The Ashes is a huge series, and we’ll be looking to pick our best team,” Bailey said. “I think we’re going to have to have our best team playing incredibly well.”

Warner's historically bad figures in the last Ashes series to be played in England have lead to long-term reservations about selecting him for the upcoming series. However an obvious replacement has yet to emerge, keeping Warner in the frame.

Head coach Andrew McDonald said Warner was 'fully in our plans' for the WTC final, backing Warner to have an easier time at The Oval than on India's home soil. He scored just 26 runs in three innings in India, a venue Bailey noted Warner had historically struggled at.

“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,” Bailey 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.”

Bailey also hinted that establishing a second Test opener was an emerging priority for Australia, with Warner closing in on the end of his career and Khawaja, 36, a veteran of the side. Harris has firmed as an early candidate, while the likes of Matthew Renshaw and Peter Handscomb remain in consideration.

“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,” Bailey said.

“So we’re going to need some depth. 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.”

Cricket Australia looking towards future beyond David Warner

In addition to Harris, breakout off-spinner Todd Murphy has earned his first Cricket Australia contract after his sensational performance in India. Sean Abbott, Lance Morris, Michael Neser and Jhye Richardson have also earned contracts after four spots were made available under the new Memorandum of Understanding.

Among players not offered a new contract are the recently retired Aaron Finch, spin bowler Mitch Swepson and wicketkeeper-batsman Matthew Wade. Crucially, contenders for the opening spot in Handscomb and Renshaw have not been offered contracts.

Bailey said his expectation was that the group of contracted players would cover the Australian team for a hectic 2022 season - which includes the World Test Championship final, the Ashes series, and the ODI World Cup.

"We have chosen a group of players we expect will form the majority of those (WTC, Ashes and ODI World Cup) campaigns and we know that we will need a squad mentality to achieve success," he said. "As we find each year now, there is a lot of cricket in the next six to 12 months and our depth will be tested.

"The six Test matches during the winter are in relatively short succession and we have a busy period of white ball cricket leading up to, and post, the ODI World Cup. The NSP (National Selection Panel) support and endorse the change to the MOU agreement which allows further scope for additional contracts which in turn creates additional depth to call on in the next period, as well as retaining the ability to utilise others from outside of this list."

With AAP

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