Recently Australia defeated Pakistan 3-0 and the West Indies are up next. The two-match Test series between the current world champions and Kraigg Brathwaite’s squad will begin in Adelaide on January 17 and include a day-night match in Brisbane.
Who will replace Warner at the very top of the order with Usman Khawaja is a question still up in the air. Warner has put out a few candidates himself, but replacing the guy who ends up being Australia’s most successful opener within the format won’t be an easy task. Now, let’s examine three choices for the opener’s slot.
3 players who can open in place of David Warner for Australia against West Indies?
3) Steve Smith
Steve Smith (Source: Twitter)
The thought of Steve Smith opening in Tests, might surely be a big statement from the Australian team. During the last days of Australia’s third and final Test against Pakistan last week, there was a lot of talk about pushing Steve Smith up the order. The conversation shifted to whether Smith’s ascent up the order would also force Cameron Green to return to the starting lineup after he expressed interest in the position.
Smith has recently battled with fluidity during the series’ complete rout of Pakistan. However, he recorded a strike rate of only 40 in the series. However, colleague Marnus Labuschagne has supported him to make the switch work even though he has never opened the batting in a Test match.
2) Cameron Bancroft
Cameron Bancroft (Source: Twitter)
On a strictly form-related basis, Cameron Bancroft’s calm approach makes sense because the 31-year-old is leading the Shield scoring charts for the second year in a row. Following his Test career coming to an abrupt end due to “Sandpaper Gate” in 2018, the West Australian stated that he was “desperate” to play for his nation once again.
In Shield cricket, the opener has scored an average of 56.88 so far this year, surpassing rivals Harris and Renshaw with 512 runs during another outstanding campaign. The Australian selectors seem to be pushing towards someone else in the position, according to the latest information released before Wednesday’s announcement of the 15-man squad.
1) Cameron Green
Cameron Green (Source: Twitter)
Although Mitch Marsh has replaced Green as the team’s all-rounder, it appears that Green will always be a member of the squad. In just 24 outings, the 24-year-old has amassed almost 1,000 Test runs with an average of 33.59. It remains to be seen, though, if he breaks through in another way or goes the route taken by Watson, who began as a middle order batsman before being promoted to an opener.
Green batted in the bottom middle order in each of the 24 Tests he has played thus far, making his debut in the format in 2020. The tall all-rounder averages 33.59 with one hundred and six half-centuries at the bat, and he has a respectable record.
