Former Australia coach Justin Langer has shared his opinion on who should replace David Warner in Australia’s Test team. The veteran opener will bring down the curtain on his illustrious Test career after the upcoming third Test against Pakistan at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Replacing David Warner will not be an easy task for Australia. He will end his Test career as Australia’s most successful opener. No Australian opener has scored more runs than him in red-ball cricket. In the general classification of Australia he occupies fifth position.
He is also Australia’s second-highest run-scorer in all formats of international cricket, ahead only of the legendary Ricky Ponting. The veteran opener has scored 8695 runs in Tests with the help of 26 centuries and 36 half-centuries. In international cricket, he has scored 18,521 runs with the help of 49 centuries and 93 half-centuries.
Justin Langer on replacing David Warner:
For now, there is little clarity on who will replace David Warner at the top of the order in the Australian Test team. The likes of Marcus Harris, Matt Renshaw and Cameron Bancroft are the favorites to replace the Australian great. Recent reports also suggest that all-rounder Cameron Green could also be promoted as an opener.
While only time will tell who replaces David Warner in the Test team, Justin Langer has said he would not promote Green in the order.
“One thing’s for sure: In my opinion, he’s got to be a specialized starter,” Langer said via Channel 7.
“There is a lot of talk about maybe it’s a Mitch Marsh, maybe it’s Cameron Green so everyone fits, but my opinion is that it has to be a specialist.
“We tried it with Aaron Finch, we tried it with Matthew Wade, we must admit that they did it for the team, but that tells me that a specialist starter is needed. Cameron Bancroft, Marcus Harris and Matt Renshaw are the obvious three, the hardest thing for the selectors will be which one they choose,” added Langer.
Meanwhile, the third and final Test between Australia and Pakistan is scheduled to be played from January 3 at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
