<\/a>Australian Teams<\/a><\/p>\n Cricket Australia has confirmed its men\u2019s contract list for a massive year featuring the Ashes, World Test Championship final and World Cup, with Mitch Swepson axed and three batting hopefuls missing out.<\/p>\n Read more<\/p>\n<\/article>\n <\/a>Cricket<\/a><\/p>\n Despite missing Australia\u2019s tour to India, Marcus Harris is set to be rewarded with a Cricket Australia contract. DANIEL CHERNY has the latest.<\/p>\n Read more<\/p>\n<\/article>\n <\/a>The Ashes<\/a><\/p>\n Ollie Robinson has doubled down on his claim Australia will get a \u201cgood hiding\u201d at the Ashes, with the seamer ready to \u201cput right\u201d what went wrong for England last time around.<\/p>\n Read more<\/p>\n<\/article>\n <\/a>The Ashes<\/a><\/p>\n Peter Handscomb had been the sole Test incumbent picked for an Australia A tour of New Zealand, but his plans have now changed, writes DANIEL CHERNY.<\/p>\n Read more<\/p>\n<\/article>\n <\/a>The Ashes<\/a><\/p>\n Ollie Robinson is bullish that under the new guard of Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes that England won\u2019t only win the Ashes this Australian winter, but possibly embarrass their visitors.<\/p>\n Read more<\/p>\n<\/article>\n <\/a>The Ashes<\/a><\/p>\n The Ashes are on the horizon, Australia is looking shaky in India, and England is on the cusp of its longest winning streak in nearly two decades, writes MIKE ATHERTON.<\/p>\n Read more<\/p>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nSwepson axed as CA backs in pace depth for Ashes<\/a><\/h4>\n
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Harris poised for Ashes recall<\/a><\/h4>\n
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Ollie Robinson ready to \u2018stick one on\u2019 Australia<\/a><\/h4>\n
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Handscomb out of NZ tour after county call-up<\/a><\/h4>\n
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Robinson warns Australia of Ashes \u2018hiding\u2019<\/a><\/h4>\n
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Stokes\u2019 England has echoes of \u201805 Aussie conquerors<\/a><\/h4>\n
As far as comments about David Warner\u2019s Test future go, this was particularly equivocal.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Given the opportunity on Thursday to declare that Warner was in Australia\u2019s plans for the Ashes, which are a little over two months away, national selection chair George Bailey was happy to let one go outside off-stump.<\/p>\n
Bailey was speaking to the media after the announcement of Cricket Australia\u2019s 24-man national contract list for the 2023-24 season.<\/p>\n
Marcus Harris\u2019 addition in favour of Matthew Renshaw, Cameron Bancroft or Peter Handscomb was proof enough that the Victorian left-hander was the next man in at the top of the order this Winter. The question that needed answering though was whether he was mainly a reserve, or whether Warner\u2019s position was genuinely under threat.<\/p>\n
Asked about whether Warner\u2019s inclusion in the extended contract list should be interpreted as evidence that he would be in the middle when the first Test begins at Edgbaston on June 16, Bailey made the special point of noting that the contract list took into account all three formats, and that Warner\u2019s Test spot was therefore not sewn up.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re three formats across all of those contracts,\u201d Bailey said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think Dave like any player is at the mercy of selection. The Ashes is a huge series, and we\u2019ll be looking to pick our best team. We\u2019re going to have to have our best team playing incredibly well to challenge England over there, the way they\u2019re playing at the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Warner is 36 and coming off a tour-ending elbow injury in India, where he had struggled at the top of the order in his brief involvements.<\/p>\n
His struggles in England four years ago are well-documented, with Stuart Broad proving tormentor; Warner averaging just 9.5.<\/p>\n
He hit back with a strong home summer in 2019-20 but his Test performances since have been largely middling, with the exception of his breathtaking double century in stifling heat at the MCG during the Boxing Day Test against South Africa in the summer just gone.<\/p>\n
Warner is back fit and has started the Indian Premier League season brightly for the Delhi Capitals.<\/p>\n
Bailey was asked to expand on recent comments from coach and fellow selector Andrew McDonald about the prospect that Warner could play against India in the World Test Championship final at The Oval in early June and then be benched for an Ashes rematch with Broad and co.<\/p>\n
Again, Bailey did little to douse speculation that Warner\u2019s Test swan song could come against Rohit Sharma\u2019s men rather than fighting to keep the urn.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe point Andrew was making there was it\u2019s a different team and a different way of playing, so I support Andrew\u2019s comments on that around David,\u201d Bailey said.<\/p>\n
\u201cLike any overseas tour it\u2019s going to be very challenging. England are playing some incredible cricket so the team and the squad that we pick for that are going to need to be at their absolute best.\u201d<\/p>\n
The unusual nature of the tour means the WTC final \u2013 which should itself be something of a showpiece \u2013 also serves as an entree to the Ashes, whose historic significance needs no explanation.<\/p>\n
Bailey explained that CA was planning on naming a squad to encompass both series.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll announce a broader squad for the World Test Championship and for the first two Ashes Tests,\u201d Bailey said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re a couple of weeks from announcing that squad.\u201d<\/p>\n
The selectors have all but shown their batting hand with this contract list. It would now be a major shock if Harris is not in the squad for England, with Renshaw and Handscomb\u2019s Indian cameos proving to be conditions-based calls.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe certainly rate Harry\u2019s ability in those (English, Australian and NZ) conditions,\u201d Bailey said of Harris.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat perhaps gives an indication of where we hold Harry.\u201d<\/p>\n
But if Warner\u2019s record against England last time out is a concern, so too then must be that of Harris, who averaged 9.66 against the Old Enemy when he replaced Bancroft mid-series.<\/p>\n
Harris is in England, playing for Gloucestershire. County runs are not Test runs, but they may provide the best guide as to whether the selectors are willing to pass the baton from one lefty to another at such a critical juncture. It would be a bold call to drop someone with 25 Test centuries for someone with an average of 25.<\/p>\n