Ashes 2023David Warner has earned the right to pull the pin whenever he wants, says Marcus Harris

By India Today Sports DeskAustralia’s reserve opener Marcus Harris has thrown his weight behind David Warner, saying the veteran batter deserves another opportunity in the Ashes 2023 series despite his string of failures so far in England. Australia leads the Test series 2-1 but they head to the 4th Test in Manchester after losing in Headingley which is being seen as a momentum-shifting win for the Ben Stokes-led host side.

David Warner has had a challenging Ashes 2023 series in England. His performance at the Headingley Test was particularly disappointing, with scores of just 4 and 1 in the two innings. Adding to his woes, he fell victim to his long-time nemesis, Stuart Broad, in both innings, raising questions about his future in the Test side. Warner’s struggle against Broad is not new. The English bowler has dismissed him seven times across 10 innings in the previous series, leaving Warner hesitant and unsure. In the third Ashes Test at Headingley, Broad got Warner out in both innings, taking the tally of him being dismissed by the pacer thrice in the series.

“Davey’s earned the right to pull the pin whenever he wants to pull the pin and he’s done well this series,” Harris said on Sunday.

“England’s not an easy place to open the batting and him and Uz have got us off to some good starts. So if I have to wait until then, so be it. But if something comes up earlier, I’m ready to go. Davey’s obviously a bit of a lightning rod for opinion.

“Even if you’re not getting the big runs that you want to get, if you can still contribute to the team in some way, shape or form, I think you’re doing a job. But that’s coming from an opening batter so I’m probably biased towards that.”

SPECIALIST ROLE

Australia have selection headaches ahead of the 4th Test, starting July 19. While Warner’s form is a cause for concern at the top, Australia will be looking to find ways to bring back fit-again Cameron Green, who missed the Headingley Test.

Mitchell Marsh, who took Green’s place in the 3rd Test, has become an inevitable member of the side after having hit a hundred on Day 1 in Headingley.

Australia dropped David Warner in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India in India earlier this year and opened with Travis Head.

However, Head has settled into his position at No. 5 and Harris believes Australia are unlikely to push someone like Green to open the batting, saying the top-order role in England and Australia is a specialized role.

“I think it depends on the conditions and where you are,” he said. “Like you saw in the subcontinent, it is probably the best time so to have someone destructive like Heady, he can open the batting there. But I think probably in England and in Australia, the way the wickets have been the last couple of years, and New Zealand, those sorts of wickets, it’s more of a specialist position,” Harris said.