Andrew McDonald and David Warner. (Photo Source: Twitter)
Australia managed to retain the prestigious urn after the Ashes series ended 2-2. However, some questions still remained unanswered for the Pat Cummins-led side. David Warner had the chance to cement his spot in Test cricket with a good performance during the English summer. However, his returns were not up to the standards he has set for himself over the years.
Earlier this year, in June, the Southpaw revealed that he wanted to play his last Test against Pakistan in January 2024 in his hometown. However, whether he would get a chance to do this could depend on how he fares in the next few months. Warner could only manage 285 runs in 10 innings at an average of 28.50 in the Ashes.
Australia head coach Andrew McDonald, however, was impressed with David Warner‘s exploits in the fifth Test at Kennington Oval, London. The experienced batter registered scores of 24 and 60 in the two innings, respectively. McDonald noted that there is still some time before their next red-ball assignment and did not want to rush to a conclusion regarding Warner’s spot in the side.
“Dave was picked in the last Test match here (at The Oval) and the way he went about it after a certain period of time was outstanding. He’s always going to have some sort of speculation around what he’s doing and where he’s heading. But we’ve got a long time before that first Test match in Australia in Perth (in mid-December). We’re not in any rush to make any key decisions … for any format,” McDonald was quoted as saying by The West Australian.
We see Mitchell Marsh and Cameron Green having big futures in all three formats for Australian cricket: Andrew McDonald
Australia are blessed to have two talented fast-bowling all-rounders in their setup in Mitchell Marsh and Cameron Green. However, they have found it difficult to fit both of them in the playing XI. They tried it in the fourth Test in Manchester but had to drop their frontline spinner Todd Murphy to make room. Andrew McDonald didn’t wish to circle out one of the two all-rounders, stating that the future is bright for both of them in all formats of international cricket.
“Mitch Marsh took his opportunity at the right time, and the way he played he put immense pressure on the opposition bowling. Cameron Green is an integral part of Australian cricket moving forward, so we will have some decisions to make during the home summer,” McDonald said.
“Can they fit in in the same team? We have done that once before (at Old Trafford), albeit we left the spinner out. But we see both having big futures in all three formats for Australian cricket. Now’s not the time to put a line through one and support the other,” he concluded.