Last Update: May 24, 2023, 15:01 IST
Australian batsman David Warner (AFP)
Australia head coach Andrew McDonald has backed David Warner under pressure to play a ‘really important role’ in the World Test Championship final and the Ashes.
Australia men’s head coach Andrew McDonald has backed David Warner to retain his spot at the top of the order, insisting he will look forward to the upcoming ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final against India and the Ashes with England. May play an important role during the course of the series.
Despite being named in Australia’s squad for the World Test Championship final and the first two Ashes Tests, Warner’s inclusion in the latter matches seemed uncertain as selection chief George Bailey asked about the opener’s chances of playing. But no clear answer was given.
The 36-year-old opener has been a mainstay of the Australian team since making his debut against New Zealand in 2011. record in England.
Warner completed a half-century just once in his last 15 Test innings before his landmark double hundred against South Africa at the MCG during the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne last year.
He registered scores of 1, 10 and 15 in India during the Border Gavaskar Trophy in February this year before being sent home to recover from an elbow fracture.
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But McDonald has thrown his support behind the experienced left-hander and believes he can make a healthy contribution in a busy six-Test schedule including the WTC final and the Ashes series.
“We’re optimistic about what Dave has left in him, we’ve picked him in the squad and we think he’s going to play a really important role in the Ashes and World Test Championship final,” McDonald told SEN on Wednesday, as quoted by cricket.com. are going.” .au
“That’s why he’s on the plane. We think he’s got some good game left in him.”
Asked what the selectors have told Warner about his place in the Ashes, the head coach said, “He is an integral part of that team.” And if he was not there, we would have a clear checking point (to pick a new team) after the World Test Championship.
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“It’s not like that … He’s clearly in our plans, and he’s ready to go.” We are in constant touch with them. He knows where he sits with us.”
Warner looked in reasonable touch this year while scoring 516 runs in 14 IPL matches with Delhi Capitals.
McDonald said he was buoyed by Warner’s form in the 2023 IPL and was quick to point to the 36-year-old’s breakthrough performance of five half-centuries and 416 against England during Australia’s 2015 Ashes series in England.
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“You can draw on some of the positive experiences in England in 2015, that average in the mid-40s. He has found success there. It’s not that he hasn’t had success in those circumstances,” McDonald said.
“So we’re backing him to draw everything he’s got. The doom guys were still out there before the Boxing Day Test. He still has a lot to draw.
“We saw a trend in terms of his form at the start of the IPL – he started slow, had doubters around his game again, and then he was able to come back and respond. He is in good shape. I Talked to him just yesterday, and he’s ready to go. He’s really excited to be back in camp,” he said.
The World Test Championship final against India at The Oval begins on June 7, with the first Ashes Test in Birmingham from June 16.
(with inputs from agencies)
