Summer of cricket Ultimate Guide Andrew McDonald reveals twist in hunt for David Warner’s successor
Australia’s coach Andrew McDonald is open to the possibility of David Warner’s eventual Test replacement coming from either red ball or white ball cricket, opening the door for a range of candidates to replace the retiring great.
McDonald insists that selectors have “no firm views” on who will assume Warner’s opening spot but has added to the debate by suggesting that a white-ball batter could come into the Test side in the near future.
Warner has requested a home-Test swansong in Sydney which could be spoiled if the veteran fails to fire in the first Test against Pakistan starting Thursday afternoon.
Keeping tight-lipped on the subject, McDonald reiterated that Warner’s place in the team is subject to constant review, as is the case for all the players in the team.
“Davey’s playing the first Test match and we’ll go from there,” he said.
McDonald said that unless a replacement for Warner is required for the Sydney and Melbourne Tests, no succession plan has been settled on at this stage.
Cameron Bancroft, Marcus Harris and Matt Renshaw have all made a case for selection with their performances in the Sheffield Shield this season, with the latter also excelling against Pakistan for the Prime Minister’s XI with a century last week.
“We know they can play, they’ve got good numbers in Shield cricket and I think if we were to go down that path and choose one of them, I think they would do a really good job,” McDonald said of the contenders to replace Warner.
McDonald also confirmed that Marsh Marsh would bat at No.6 in Perth, but the all-rounder could potentially slide up the order to replace Warner at some point, given his top order experience in the limited overs formats over the last two years. That option would also allow Cameron Green to return to the Test side.
Australia’s openness to include a white-ball specialist in its Test side moving forward could also see Glenn Maxwell potentially returning for his first Test since 2017.
With the series against Pakistan forming a cycle of the World Test Championship, McDonald stressed the importance of Australia playing its best XI at every opportunity.
With this in mind, he suggested that Australia’s emerging and fringe talent in white ball cricket could prove an asset.
“I think a lot of our white-ball players that continue to play international cricket don’t get a lot of Shield cricket, so there’s always that (question of), ‘Are they at the mercy of selection because they’re not playing a certain format?'” McDonald said.
“You’ve got to really juggle that and balance that. We feel as though you can come from different running lines.
“But the Shield competition, for mine, is very strong. We’ve had some difficult wickets this year, so it’s been really hard to get a judge on what the batting units actually look like and what they may look like at international level. The currency is runs and there are some players that have put their hand up there.
“I think we’re in good hands and I think the domestic competition prepares them well.
“Everyone sort of looks to the future and worries about what’s next, and someone always puts their hand up.
“The next decision is the most important one once Dave goes. Dave hasn’t gone yet so we don’t have to make a decision.”
Ahead of the first Test against Pakistan, here is everything you need to know about the 2023-24 Australian summer of cricket.
When and where are the matches this summer?
Men’s Test series vs Pakistan: First Test, 14-18 December at Perth Stadium, Perth
Australia women vs India: Only Test, 21-24 December at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Men’s Test series vs Pakistan: Second Test, 26-30 December at Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
Women’s ODI series vs India: Game one, 28 December at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Women’s ODI series vs India: Game two, 30 December at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Women’s ODI series vs India: Game three, 2 January at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Men’s Test series vs Pakistan: Third Test, 3-7 January at Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney
Women’s T20 series vs India: Game one, 6 January at Dr DY Patil Sports Academy, Mumbai
Women’s T20 series vs India: Game two, 8 January at Dr DY Patil Sports Academy, Mumbai
Women’s T20 series vs India: Game three, 10 January at Dr DY Patil Sports Academy, Mumbai
Cricket Australia’s XI vs West Indies Test: 10-13 January at Karen Rolton Oval, Adelaide
Men’s Test series vs West Indies: First Test, 17-21 January at Adelaide Oval, Adelaide
Governor-General’s XI vs South Africa ODI: 24 January at North Sydney Oval, Sydney
Men’s Test series vs West Indies: Second Test, 25-29 January at The Gabba, Brisbane (D/N)
Women’s T20 series vs South Africa: Game one, 27 January at Manuka Oval, Canberra
Women’s T20 series vs South Africa: Game two, 27 January at Manuka Oval, Canberra
Women’s T20 series vs South Africa: Game three, 30 January at Bellerive Oval, Hobart
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Men’s ODI series vs West Indies: Game one, 2 February at Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne (D/N)
Women’s ODI series vs South Africa: Game one, 3 February at Adelaide Oval, Adelaide
Men’s ODI series vs West Indies: Game two, 4 February at Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney (D/N)
Men’s ODI series vs West Indies: Game three, 6 February at Manuka Oval, Canberra (D/N)
Women’s ODI series vs South Africa: Game two, 7 February, at North Sydney Oval, Sydney
Men’s T20I series vs West Indies: Game one, 9 February at Blundstone Arena, Hobart (N)
Women’s ODI series vs South Africa: Game three, 10 February, at North Sydney Oval, Sydney
Men’s T20I series vs West Indies: Game two, 11 February at Adelaide Oval, Adelaide (N)
Men’s T20I series vs West Indies: Game three, 13 February at Perth Stadium, Perth
Australia women vs South Africa: Only Test, 15-18 February at WACA Ground, Perth
How to watch the summer of cricket?
All international cricket fixtures played on Australian soil will be broadcast on Fox Cricket and Channel Seven, bar the men’s ODI and T20 series against the West Indies which will only be available through Foxtel and Kayo Sports.
Wide World of Sports will have a live blog running every day of every Test this summer, with live scores, commentary and analysis of the big moments.
How do I purchase tickets for matches this summer?
For every international cricket fixture played on Australian soil, Ticketmaster and Ticketek are the official providers.
Who is in Australia and Pakistan’s Test squads?
Australia first Test squad: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Lance Morris, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, David Warner
Pakistan squad: Shan Masood (c), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Afridi.
Who is in Australia’s squad for the tour of India?
Australia squad: Darcie Brown, Lauren Cheatle (Test only), Heather Graham, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Grace Harris (T20s only), Alyssa Healy (c), Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham
India squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Yastika Bhatia (wk), Richa Ghosh (wk), Sneh Rana, Shubha Satheesh, Harleen Deol, Saika Ishaque, Renuka Singh Thakur, Titas Sadhu, Meghna Singh, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Pooja Vastrakar
Where will the Australia vs Pakistan Test series be played?
The West Test: Perth Stadium, Perth WA from December 14–17
Boxing Day Test: MCG, Melbourne VIC from December 26-29
Pink Test: SCG, Sydney NSW from January 3-6
What are the odds for the Australia vs Pakistan Test series?
As of last Monday, Sportsbet has listed Australia as the outright favourite to win the series at $1.15.
Pakistan is listed as a $13.00 chance while a drawn series is paying $12.00.
What is the Test record of Pakistan and Australia?
Australia and Pakistan have faced each other in 69 Test matches.
Australia has won 34 times while Pakistan have triumphed on 15 occasions. The other 20 matches have ended in a draw.
