Hint at David Warner's Ashes replacement in telling Cricket Australia move
After a difficult Test summer, Cricket Australia have dropped a major hint as to David Warner's potential replacement.
Cricket Australia has offered fans a hint at life after David Warner, with Marcus Harris offered a contract in a hint the Victorian batter has been tabbed to replace the veteran opener. Warner's future in the Australian Test team has been up for debate after a gruelling summer in which runs were exceptionally difficult for the 36-year-old to come by.
Save for a memorable double-century in the Boxing Day Test, coincidentally Warner's 100th for Australia, he struggled mightily in series' at home against the West Indies and South Africa, as well as his two appearances in the Border-Gavaskar series in India. Warner returned to Australia after the second Test against India after suffering a concussion and a fractured arm.
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In addition to Harris, breakout off-spinner Todd Murphy has earned his first Cricket Australia contract after his sensational performance in India. Sean Abbott, Lance Morris, Michael Neser and Jhye Richardson have also earned contracts after four spots were made available under the new Memorandum of Understanding.
Among players not offered a new contract are the recently retired Aaron Finch, spin bowler Mitch Swepson and wicketkeeper-batsman Matthew Wade. Crucially, contenders for the opening spot in Peter Handscomb and Matthew Renshaw have not been offered contracts.
Chief selector George Bailey said his expectation was that the group of contracted players would cover the Australian team for a hectic 2022 season - which includes the World Test Championship final, the Ashes series, and the ODI World Cup.
"We have chosen a group of players we expect will form the majority of those (WTC, Ashes and ODI World Cup) campaigns and we know that we will need a squad mentality to achieve success," he said. "As we find each year now, there is a lot of cricket in the next six to 12 months and our depth will be tested.
"The six Test matches during the winter are in relatively short succession and we have a busy period of white ball cricket leading up to, and post, the ODI World Cup. The NSP (National Selection Panel) support and endorse the change to the MOU agreement which allows further scope for additional contracts which in turn creates additional depth to call on in the next period, as well as retaining the ability to utilise others from outside of this list."
Test series against Pakistan and the West Indies on home soil will follow next summer, before the Aussies journey to New Zealand for a white-ball and Test series.
Harris, who was not given a contract last year, has not played a Test match since January 2022 despite being part of multiple squads, and only represents the country in red-ball cricket. He had seemingly fallen behind Renshaw in the pecking order, who is another contender to potentially replace Warner.
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National contracts are worth an average of $951,000 under the sport's new pay deal, with players left off the list automatically upgraded if they play enough international cricket.
Handscomb can also feel hard done by after he batted his way back into Australia's team after averaging 70 in the Sheffield Shield for Victoria, and played all four Tests in India. Potentially working against him is the fact Australia do not tour the sub-continent again in the next year, where the Victorian is largely considered most effective.
Matthew Kuhnemann is another to miss out given the lack of Test cricket in Asia ahead.
Warner is currently competing in the IPL, where he was named skipper for the Delhi Capitals under the coaching of Ricky Ponting. The Capitals are off to an 0-2 start, despite Warner hitting an impressive 56 off 48 balls in the Capitals' opening game, before 37 off 32 in the second.
Fans were still unhappy though, hoping Warner would have gone about his scoring at a substantially higher rate. Warner's turn as Capitals skipper comes after he abandoned his attempt to have his lifetime leadership ban for Australia overturned late last year.
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