"Davey's not a selector" - Andrew McDonald says 'all options will be considered' despite David Warner endorsing Marcus Harris as his successor
Australian men's team head coach Andrew McDonald wants to keep all options open for David Warner's replacement as Test opener despite the latter recently endorsing Marcus Harris for the role. The 42-year-old said he was happy to have Warner's opinion, but iterated that he is not a selector.
After Day 1 of the Boxing Day Test against Pakistan at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), Warner endorsed Harris as his successor. The left-hander will play the final Test of his career at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) and has refused to be part of the subsequent series against the West Indies.
Speaking to reporters on Saturday, McDonald recalled that Warner had also supported Matt Renshaw a while back. He said, as quoted by ESPN Cricinfo:
"Davey's not a selector. And I remember back to when I think Davey endorsed Matt Renshaw so I think the next one will probably be Cam Bancroft and then Cameron Green and he'll have all bases covered, but...it's great when a fellow player endorses someone else internally. It means that they've probably excluded other players as well, but he was asked his opinion and we're happy with him to express that. All options will be considered."
Harris made his Test debut against India in 2018 but has failed to grab his opportunities, having played just 14 Tests in that period. The left-hander has managed 607 runs at 25.29 with three half-centuries.
"Everyone is well aware of the options" - Andrew McDonald
With Cameron Green warming the bench for the Test series against Pakistan, McDonald hinted that the all-rounder will come into the mix to face the West Indies.
"There's a few options. Everyone is well aware of the options. I'm a person that once you know when you're going to make the decision, you make it at that point in time. Until then the discussions will be open. We'll put a deadline on that. That'll be the West Indies selection meeting. Cameron Green, as a discussion around who are the best six batters, has definitely been in the conversation."
The two-Test series against the West Indies begins on January 17th at the Adelaide Oval.