David Warner has given his strong support to Marcus Harris to replace him as Australia’s next Test opener, following a day in which he and Usman Khawaja demonstrated the value of having specialists do the job, sharing a 90-run opening stand against Pakistan to help Australia weather the storm.
Warner and Khawaja batted practically the whole first session after Pakistan skipper Shan Masood brought them in on an MCG pitch with lots of live green grass. The collaboration ensured that Australia did not find themselves in a perilous situation after reaching stumps at 187 for 3 after 24 overs were lost due to rain.
The discussion about who should replace Warner after he retires from the format at the end of the series has raged on, with Michael Hussey adding fuel to the fire by suggesting that he would want to see a specialist handle the job.
Warner was asked in July about who should take his position. He praised Matt Renshaw’s credentials before referencing Harris’ “front-row seat” as the touring reserve in the Ashes.
However, after putting up an 83-ball 38 in a crucial 90-run opening stand that included being dropped on 2 by Abdullah Shafique off Shaheen Shah Afridi, Warner endorsed Harris as the guy to replace him when he retires in Sydney.
“It’s a tough one,” Warner said. “Of course, it’s up to the selectors.” But, from my vantage point, I believe Harry is the one who has worked their tail off and has been present in the background for quite some time. He’s toured, and he’ll have that chance. He scored a century the previous day [for a Victoria XI against Pakistan].
“He didn’t play in a couple of other games, but he was always the person who was next in line.” If the selectors believe in him, I’m confident he’ll come out and play like he always does. It reminds me a lot of me. If he notices it in hi
Despite the fact that his current partner, Usman Khawaja, is the same age as him, Warner, 37, believes Australia will not require a second opener anytime soon. He was effusive in his appreciation for Khawaja’s performance on the first day. Khawaja struck 42 but seemed the more at ease of the two, not putting a foot wrong in the challenging morning circumstances until he tried to late cut a ball from Hasan Ali that was a bit too near and just too full, edging it to second slip.
Given his current form and importance to the squad, Warner believes Khawaja can play for as long as he wants.
“I think because Uzzy’s spoken about the fact that he was resigned to the fact that he was done a few years back and now he’s just playing like every game is his last,” Warner told ESPN. “He’s going to keep playing as long as he can, which is a true testament to his mentality.” His last year has been really great, and he can play for as long as he wants and still feel comfortable.”
