Australia finally found an opening partner for David Warner earlier this year, after waiting for more than five years. In the end Usman Khawaja was found as his suited partner.
Usman Khawaja’s long-awaited return to Test cricket was made possible by Travis Head’s untimely Covid-19 scare, and the Queenslander has been an absolute gem in Australian whites ever since.
At 36 and on the verge of retirement, Warner and Khawaja are entering the latter stages of their careers. Warner’s recent performance, meanwhile, has led some people to believe he might not even be able to travel to India next month.
Australia will very certainly look for new opening alliances in the upcoming 12 to 24 months. There are already a few that would be suitable to replace the two legendary cricketers.
Michael Hussey told foxsports.com.au that, “David Warner’s made it public that he might only play Test cricket for another 12 months, and obviously Usman Khawaja’s coming into the twilight of his career as well, so who knows how long he’ll want to keep playing for.
“It’s going to be important to have a couple of really good players that have had some Test match experience to fill those two pairs of massive shoes.”
The top 5 candidates to replace David Warner and Usman Khawaja
Number 1, Marcus Harris
The 30-year-old cricketer has debuted on the Australian National team since 2018 against India. He has been playing first-class cricket for Western Australia since the 2010s.
In nine first-class matches for Gloucestershire during the winter, Harris scored 726 runs at 42.70, including three centuries. After returning home in September, the opener’s excellent play continued, scoring 288 runs at 41.14 in four Sheffield Shield matches, highlighted by a century against Western Australia in October.
Number 2, Matthew Renshaw
After being cut from Queensland’s Sheffield Shield team, Renshaw took a hiatus from cricket in early 2020, but since his comeback, he has become one of the Bulls’ most prolific run scorers.
The 26-year-old, who scored an undefeated double-century against New South Wales in Sydney, is averaging 51.66 in the Sheffield Shield this season.
Renshaw then made headlines during the Prime Minister’s XI game against the West Indies last month in Canberra by hitting 81 and 101 runs off the pink Kookaburra without being out.
Number 3, Cameron Bancroft
The 30-year-old cricketer’s endurance at the bat is demonstrated by the fact that he is the only player in this season’s Sheffield Shield competition to score three hundreds, while no other player has faced more than 1000 deliveries.
Fans will undoubtedly disagree on whether Bancroft deserves another shot at playing in a Test match, but if his recent success continues, national selectors may find it tough to dismiss him.
Bancroft and two other players, captain Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner, were charged by Cricket Australia on March 27 as a result of an inquiry into a ball-tampering incident that occurred during the third Test against South Africa in March 2018.
However, he has since been back in the game as his banning was a temporary one.
Number 4, Henry Hunt
With a game-saving performance against Victoria in October, the 25-year-old advanced his Test credentials by weathering 326 deliveries at the crease in the fourth innings to rescue a draw from certain defeat.
He is now averaging 31.00 in the Sheffield Shield with two fifties in 10 innings, but this summer he hasn’t been able to turn starts into big scores.
Number 5, Sam Whiteman
The 30-year-old was chosen to play for Cricket Australia in a recent tour match in Brisbane against South Africa, but he struggled against the potent Proteas attack, scoring only 11 and 1.
The glovework of Whiteman is also a plus because having a backup wicketkeeper in the starting XI is usually helpful in case of injury.
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