Australia men’s selection panel chairperson George Bailey has backed opener David Warner to play in the third Test against Pakistan at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), a match that the opener intends to end his long format career with.
Warner has been named in the 14-man squad for the first Test against Pakistan, which starts on December 14. The veteran opener expressed his desire to retire from the long format after the final Test at Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), the home stadium of his first-class team, New South Wales.
“We still think he’s in our best eleven players to win the first Test,” Warner told reporters. “I think Test cricket, in terms of the way that the World Test Championship points are set up, each Test is critical. There are points on the line for every game.
So our focus is very much on picking the 11 that we think can do the job, and obviously, there are roles within that for each individual and how that actually structures up the team as a whole, and we think David is the right person for that for this Test,” he added.
Bailey said that Warner’s decision to end his Test career in Sydney is respected, but the Australian team is particular about performance and how the player fits into a team, and that would not change.
“Clearly, Dave would like to get through the series and finish up in Sydney, and we fully respect that.