David Warner has picked his successor in Tests as he set to play his last red-ball cricket game during the third Test against Pakistan starting on January 3, 2024. The legendary opener picked Victoria's experienced top-order batter Marcus Harris over favourites Cameron Bancroft and Matthew Renshaw to replace him in Tests.
The 37-year-old batter is set to hang his boots in the longest format with 8500 runs in 110 Test matches since his debut in 2011. Warner fell for 38 runs on Day 1 of the ongoing second Test match against Pakistan on Tuesday after scoring a sensational hundred in the first match.
Warner has been in good form across formats but is set to leave the red-ball cricket to extend his stay in two other formats. Australia are already in search of new top-order cricketers to replace the current Test openers Usman Khawaja and Warner, 37.
However, there is no clear choice to replace both veterans but Warner has backed Harris to take his place. Warner said that Harris was in the mix as a Test opener for a while and added that the Victoria batter is 'not too dissimilar'.
"It's a tough one," Warner told reporters. "It's obviously up to the selectors. But from my position, I feel like the person who's worked their backside off and has been there for a while in the background, I think Harry's been that person. He's toured, he's going to have that chance. He scored a hundred the other day.
"He missed out in a couple of other games but he's always been that person who was next in line. If the selectors show faith in him, then I'm sure he'll come out and play the way he does. It's not too dissimilar to me. If he sees it in his areas, he goes for it, plays his shots, and I think he would fit well."
Harris, 31, has already played 14 Test matches but has yet to make an impression with his chances. He has scored only 607 runs at a poor average of 25.29 and faces tough competition from Renshaw and Bancroft to replace Warner. Both Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head are also leading candidates to open if the management fails to find a quality replacement for Warner.
