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Free Hit

David Warner's latest headline grab has underlined Australia's opener problem

A year on from the generational opener's final series, the side are still trying to get their batting line-up right

Andrew McGlashan
Andrew McGlashan
23-Oct-2024
Nic Maddinson made 12, New South Wales vs South Australia, Sheffield Shield, Cricket Central, October 8, 2024

Nic Maddinson averaged over 51, with three centuries, for New South Wales last season, but hasn't made a strong start in this season's Sheffield Shield  •  Mark Evans/Getty Images

Oh, hello David. Thought you were done with international cricket (apart from the offer to play the Champions Trophy if Australia were desperate) after the year-long retirement tour?
But wait, Australia need a Test opener to face India. "I'm always available, just got to pick up the phone," Warner told the Daily Telegraph. "Honestly, if they really needed myself for this series, I'm more than happy to play the next Shield game and go out there and play."
It almost goes without saying that it won't be happening. "You retired," was the coach Andrew McDonald's reported response from a text exchange. But apart from Warner making himself the headline again, it does reinforce that Australia are trying to fill a major hole ahead of the India series.
There just isn't a ready-made replacement - it's a tough ask to replace someone who was a generational player. Even Warner finished his career with his Test powers somewhat waned (albeit averaging 49.8 in his final series).
And while you can be confident the debates between selectors George Bailey, Tony Dodemaide and McDonald will be calmer than some of the discussions going on in public, it hasn't been a great week for the auditions.
Marcus Harris fell twice to Mitchell Starc before he could convert starts; Matt Renshaw made 2 and 21; Sam Konstas followed 2 with a hard-working 43 before a hack at Todd Murphy; and Cameron Bancroft collected two more single-figure scores after his opening-round pair.
That we are back here, 12 months on from the lead-in to Warner's final series, highlights the void that has been left. The four-Test experiment with Steven Smith - which did allow Cameron Green back into the side - has been quickly aborted, yet there remains a chance it will again not be a specialist opener who is selected. When not making things about himself, Warner raised that point. It's been a long time since one position has caused such angst for Australia.
It was interesting to note Smith pushing his New South Wales team-mate Nic Maddinson as an option. Maddinson, who played three Tests in 2016, had a sparkling finish to last season with Victoria, when he made three centuries in successive matches. As with a few others, though, it's been a lean start to the Sheffield Shield for him, with scores of 12, 8, 19 and 15. He was worked over by Scott Boland at the MCG; not the first, or last, to suffer that fate.
But the interesting angle was as much about volume of runs as tempo. "If you're looking for someone similar to a Davey replacement, he gets after the ball and can score really quickly," Smith said. "The game's kind of changed that way a little bit, you see a lot of the openers around the world these days getting after the ball and trying to put the pressure on early against that new ball."
In that regard, Warner was a game-changer. He won't be back. They are huge shoes to fill. And whoever does it, Warner will be commentating on them. Prepare for a few more headlines yet.

Andrew McGlashan is a deputy editor at ESPNcricinfo