As the chatter over who would replace David Warner in Tests after the 3rd PAK vs AUS Test continues, Australia skipper Pat Cummins has broken his silence on the matter. The matter of a specialist batter to replace Warner came to the fore recently, with Cameron Bancroft suggesting the same while throwing his hat into the ring.
Cummins breaks silence on Warner’s replacement
However, Pat Cummins begs to differ. The Aussie skipper cited Usman Khawaja’s case of how he forced his way into the team and settled at the only available spot to point out that there wasn’t a specialist needed specifically.
“Uzzy (Usman Khawaja) wasn’t a specialist (opener) until it was basically the only spot available in the team and he forced his way in,” Cummins, who has been involved in informal discussions on the looming selection, said, as per Australian Associated Press.
“Ideally, you’ve got someone who’s had experience opening, but I don’t think it’s a blanket rule.”
Warner to play one last Test at SCG
While hosts Australia have already pocketed the series, Pakistan will enter the third Test match of the series at the SCG with the aim of salvaging some pride, after being knocked out in the first two encounters. On Tuesday, hosts’ skipper confirmed that they will go with the same playing XI as the previous two matches, in what will be David Warner’s farewell Test.
Cummins confirmed that Australia did not have any reason to tinker with the winning combination, and the team is raring to go in the final match of the series, as per Cricket.com.au. Even though the SCG has a bit of a reputation for turning more than the other Australian venues, it seems there isn’t any need to play an extra spinner, with everything working in their favour.