David Warner’s ebullient style is presently unique

David Warnerrsquos plight is currently a big discussion subject but there are actually a number of Australian positions that will require serious attention as the Test team enter a period of evolutionThe cloud over Warner concerns whether hersquoll achieve his desired Test retirement at the Sydney Cricket Ground in January 2024Warner set himself a challenge when he gamely announced the contest against Pakistan as his final Test appearance Nevertheless there are no other batsmen whose strike rate worries opposing captains like the current Australian opener The three candidates to replace Warner are Marcus Harris Matt Renshaw and Cameron BancroftNone of them come close to Warnerrsquos ebullient style and whoever Australia chooses it means taking a step back Even though Warner is not the player he used to be hersquos still good enough to succeed in Australia and he should meet his preferred final destination at the SCGNo more a tough ShieldOf the replacement candidates Bancroft is receiving a lot of coverage for his success in Sheffield Shield cricket The problem with Shield cricket is that itrsquos no longer the competition great West Indies allrounder Sir Garfield Sobers described in the sixties as ldquothe toughest in the world outside Test cricketrdquoBecause international players now rarely compete in the Sheffield Shield itrsquos not necessarily the best competition for judging future potential Despite those deficiencies the chosen player will have an opportunity to score runs against a struggling West Indies attack and this will be a cosy reintroduction to Test cricketThe tour of New Zealand in February 2024 will then provide the chosen player with a much tougher challengeRenshaw was harshly dealt with when he was previously dropped on poor firstclass rather than Test form However choosing Renshaw would still be a gamble as at age 28 hersquos the only opening candidate under 30Where are the openersThat begs the question ldquoWhere are the skilful young opening batsmenrdquo This is a major concern when the other opener Usman Khawaja while extremely successful will turn 37 during the summerThe fast bowling trio of Pat Cummins Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood have mighty records but the latter pair are now entrenched in their thirties and replacements will soon be requiredSo when the Australian fast bowling stocks were decimated last season why wasnrsquot genuine paceman Lance Morris tested against the West Indies at the Adelaide Oval Itrsquos one thing for Morris to challenge Shield players with sheer pace but the selectors needed to find out if he could cause a similar reaction at Test levelIf chosen this summer Morris would be age 26 Age is important when you consider what the fine former West Indies pace bowler Andy Roberts once said ldquoYoursquove got to pick fast bowlers while they are still really quickrdquoAlso Read The name is Broad rest is pace legacy my friendA fast bowler only has so many years where hersquos genuinely quickThen there is the case of the highly successful Test offspinner Nathan Lyon Lyon just suffered a serious injury and hersquos also bowled a mountain of overs so his future is clouded Todd Murphy is an adequate replacement but hersquoll need to expand his repertoire to fill Lyonrsquos big shoesThe other player whose position was debated in the UK was captain Pat Cummins Cummins is a good captain but a leaderrsquos position is often questioned especially when the team have a bad dayThat debate raises the question ldquoIf you demote Cummins who is the next captainrdquo Former skipper Steve Smith is available but at age 34 he isnrsquot a choice for the future The other options are Travis Head Alex Carey and perhaps Mitchell Marsh who will all be age 30 or overA captain has to be appointed while he still has some peak years remaining so he can provide playing inspirationIf fast bowler Cummins is injured or unavailable Australia need to appoint a captain who can eventually do the job in the future In the meantime Cummins is by far the most inspirational player in the Australian side and the best man to captain the Test team