Selectors tight-lipped on David Warner’s future after India failures

David Warner’s time in the Test side may well be over, with national selectors refusing to back him for the upcoming Ashes.

David Warner’s Test future is up in the air once again, as the 36-year-old veteran opener flies home from the Test tour of India with a concussion and broken elbow.

National selector Tony Dodemaide refused to unequivocally back Warner for the upcoming Ashes series in England starting in June, saying that the national selection panel will “address the Ashes planning (at a later time).”

“We are committed to picking the best fit and available players for Test series’, particularly something as big as the Ashes.

“We’re worried about what we can get out of these remaining two Tests (in India), obviously that’s a clear focus for us at the moment.”

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Warner’s returns of 29.48 from 19 Tests dating back to the start of 2021 has been the subject of intense public scrutiny, and Warner struggled immensely at home this summer against weakened South African and West Indies sides, an environment he usually dominates.

This was compounded by Australia’s next overseas assignments being the two toughest and most important tours in the game - India away, followed by an away Ashes tour.

There is no bigger and more revealing spotlight in the sport than India and England away, and yet without the domestic pressure in the Sheffield Shield of years gone by, Warner has had a vice-grip on the opening position.

The tale of Warner’s failure in India this tour is all but written - right arm around the wicket, and little to no resistance on wickets that he has no relationship at all with, let alone trust.

England, however, is a story with a prologue of dire proportions.

Warner’s struggles overseas have been amplified in India. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

Warner’s broken elbow and concussion after a barrage of brutal short bowling from Mohammed Shami has ruled him out of the rest of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

The last time Warner went to the mother country, Stuart Broad got him out for fun, dismissing him seven times in ten innings, every single time coming around the wicket to the left-hander.

It is reminiscent of the failures fellow left-hander Adam Gilchrist had late in his career against English seamers coming around the wicket to him, with the legendary wicketkeeper-batsman writing in his autobiography that the 2005 Ashes tour was the “worst time of (his) cricketing life.”

Andrew Flintoff dismissed Gilchrist around the wicket four times in five Tests, with Gilchrist not reaching 50.

Warner averages 26.91 in English Tests facing the new ball with Broad in the side, and has never cracked a century at all.

Stuart Broad got Warner out for fun during the 2019 Ashes. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

Daniel Brettig wrote for the Sydney Morning Herald that the David Warner dilemma resembles that of the Waughs after the turn of the century, and that is is representative of a new era where players dictate selection with timely runs rather than being moved on in an orderly fashion for the good of the game.

Warner’s fighting double century in Melbourne on Boxing Day was a return to what the Australian public have come to love from him, dictating the pace of the game against a new ball on fast, bouncy Australian wickets and putting opposition bowlers to the sword, but innings like that have been few and far between lately.

The key issue will be whether the Australian selectors see enough potential in the current crop of emerging domestic batters to warrant Warner’s sacking, with the current established group not averaging extraordinary amounts.

Cameron Bancroft, infamously banned alongside Warner in 2018 for his part in the Newlands sandpaper scandal, is currently topping the Sheffield Shield run tallies this season with 641 runs at 53.41.

With Warner aged 36 and a host of other ageing batters around him, the question is being asked as to whether he is best given his marching orders now, as the only batter of the 30+ trio that includes Steve Smith and Usman Khawaja that has not performed overseas of late.

With a truncated home Test summer coming after a long away season that also includes an ODI World Cup in India, the list of Warner’s failures away from home may simply have gotten too long to ignore.

Warner’s own teammates have called for him to be dropped after his failures in India, with Australia desparate to arrest their slide into mediocrity.

Warner’s historical struggles in England might signal the end of his Test career ahead of an away Ashes tour. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)

Geoff Lemon opined for the Guardian that this is also an opportunity of convenience for the Australian selectors - with Warner currently out injured, this may be the chance that Travis Head needs to solidify his position in the side at the top of the order and fill Warner’s historical role as the opening aggressor against a hard new ball.

Head performed admirably in the second innings in Delhi, with his 43 one of the only innings of resistance for the tourists before an inexplicable collapse on day three.

The focus, at least immediately for the Australians, will be on the third Test in Indore, with the Border-Gavaskar Trophy dead but remaining matches still very much alive.

The Australians need to avoid a 4-0 sweep in India if they are to not rely on other results in New Zealand to qualify for the World Test Championship final in June.

If India do manage a whitewash at home, Australia will be barracking for the little brother over the Tasman, as a 2-0 home defeat for New Zealand against Sri Lanka would see the Sri Lankans qualify for the final, despite being ranked seventh in the format.

Originally published as Selectors tight-lipped on David Warner’s future after India failures