As Australia prepares to play the ICC World Test Championship Final, it would also be engaging in a five-Test Ashes series against England thereafter. With David Warner's form being a concern, head coach Andrew McDonald comments on his role.
Australia will be under pressure as it prepares to play its first-ever ICC World Test Championship (WTC) Final against India on June 7 at The Oval in London. Despite it being its maiden appearance in the event's final, given the seaming conditions in England, the Kangaroos will have an advantage.
For the Aussies, the form of its veteran explosive opener David Warner has been a concern. Although he was in decent form in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL), leading Delhi Capitals (DC), it is a completely different-ball format and cannot be a platform to judge his performance in the longest format.
Nonetheless, head coach Andrew McDonald has backed Warner to play a significant role for the side in the WTC Final, as he told Sydney Evening News, "We're optimistic with what Dave's got left, we've picked him in the squad, and we feel he'll play a really big part in the Ashes and the World Test Championship [final]."
"He's [Warner] an important part of that squad, and if he wasn't, we would've had a clear checkpoint after the WTC going into the Ashes. That's not the case. We've picked our squad for the first two Ashes Tests, so he's clearly in our plans and ready to go," added McDonald.
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"He [Warner] knows exactly where he sits with us. It's not as though he hasn't had success in those conditions, so we're backing him to draw on everything he's got. He's in a good head space. I spoke to him as recently as yesterday, and he's ready to go. He's excited to get back into the camp," McDonald concluded.