‘I don’t think it’s a blanket rule’: Pat Cummins unsure who will replace Warner, reveals the next man up doesn’t have to be a specialist opener

Australia has taken a patient approach to locking in David Warner’s replacement, but time is running out for selectors.

It seems everyone in the country has an opinion on who should replace David Warner at the top of the order, but Test skipper Pat Cummins denies he’s had any formal chats with selectors about who should be Australia’s next opener.

Warner’s glittering Test career will come to an end this week against Pakistan at the SCG, with the 37-year-old to finish as Australia’s fifth-leading run-scorer in red-ball cricket.

It’s going to be a daunting task to replace him, with Cameron Bancroft, Matt Renshaw and Marcus Harris floated as the leading candidates to come in, while there have also been calls for Marnus Labuschagne or Travis Head to push up the order, which would allow Cam Green to come back into the side.

Pat Cummins still doesn’t know who will replace David Warner. Picture: Mark Evans/Getty Images

“(There’s been) nothing formal, and that’s the honest truth,” Cummins said, with Australia’s next Test against the West Indies starting on January 17.

“I’ve had a couple of informal chats with Ronnie (coach Andrew McDonald) and we’ve always kind of said let’s get through this. We’ve got a bit of a gap until the next one, so I’m sure the selectors will sit down after this one and map it out.

“The good thing is that we’re not short of options. There are probably three or four guys that could step in and we’d think would do a great job, but honestly, we haven’t had a chat about it too deeply yet.”

Guys like Bancroft and Harris have experience opening the batting at Test level, but Cummins says that’s not a prerequisite given someone like Usman Khawaja has excelled at the top of the order despite not being a natural opener.

“Uzzy wasn’t a specialist until it was basically the only spot available in the team and he forced his way in,” he said.

“Ideally, you’ve got someone who’s had experience opening, but I don’t think it’s a blanket rule.”

Whoever comes in is going to have massive shoes to fill given Warner has revolutionised the role with his willingness to attack the swinging ball from the outset.

It’s why his captain and long-time teammate says he’s Australia’s most accomplished three-format player.

David Warner will go down as one of Australia’s greatest cricketers. Picture: Richard Dobson

“Three formats over a decade. Two 50-over World cups, one T20 World Cup and all those campaigns he was front and centre, he was a big reason for it,” Cummins said, with Warner showing his 50-over class with a couple of centuries at the World Cup in India.

“Then playing over a hundred Test matches puts him in an elite category in basically all three formats. Just his consistency and the bulk of work that he’s been able to achieve, I think he’s our greatest three-format player.

“It’s going to be a bit of an adjustment (with him gone) especially a big personality like Davey. Even off the field as much as on the field.

“The good thing is with the bowling group, we’ve always got people like Scotty Boland or Lance Morris or Michael Neser being in or out of the squad, it’s always been seamless.

“The job now is whoever comes into the side in the batting group, I’m sure they’re not going to be totally unknown even if it’s someone from outside the group now.

“We play a lot of cricket with these guys. Hopefully, they fit in straightaway and they’re a stable part of this team.”

There could be more changes to the national side in the next couple of years. Picture: Richard Dobson

Warner’s decision to retire could be the start of some big changes to the national team, which will field just one player under 30 for the third Test.

Labuschagne, 29, is the youngest player in the team, with veteran batters Usman Khawaja (37), Steve Smith (34) and some of the bowlers getting towards the end of their careers.

“Realistically, there is going to be some rate of change over the next couple of years. We probably thought it was going to happen a little bit sooner but everyone is hanging on,” Cummins said.

“After this block of Test matches, we don’t play again until next summer, so I don’t see anything in the immediate future that is going to change.

“There’s been some great opportunities for the young guys in Aussie A, even some ODI tours where a couple of the first XI guys have rested. I’m sure there will be a bigger change in the next couple of years and I’m sure we’ll be ready for it.”