Former Captain Mark Taylor Believes David Warner Will be Picked for WTC Final and Ashes Despite Recent Struggles

Former Australian captain Mark Taylor predicts that David Warner will be selected for the World Test Championship Final against India in June and the subsequent Ashes series in England. Despite Warner's struggle in the red-ball series in India, Taylor believes Australia will put their faith in the left-handed opener, who scored a double century against South Africa at the Boxing Day Test in 2022.

Warner, who has failed to reach fifty in the last 18 Test innings, has an average of just 9.50 on the last Ashes tour in 2019. However, Taylor feels that Australia's selectors will stick with the 36-year-old opener. "If I am reading the tea leaves right, it sounds like they will stick with David for the World Test Championship (final) at The Oval," he said.

Taylor also suggested that Usman Khawaja and Warner would be the pair to open the batting for Australia in the WTC final, but he would like to see a right/left-hand combination in the future. Cameron Bancroft, who enjoyed a fruitful Australian domestic summer, may be the man to step up should a change be made. "It would be very hard to have Usman Khawaja and Warner open the batting and then change a week later for the first Test at Edgbaston. My old way of thinking, I always like a right and left-hander combination. So I would love to see Cameron Bancroft get another opportunity at the top of the order," he said.

Marcus Harris, who has been consistent across domestic cricket in Australia and the UK, has also put his name forward, most recently making a second-innings century for Gloucestershire against Glamorgan. Taylor thinks that Harris' flow of runs puts him in the discussion, but Bancroft and Matt Renshaw are better in other facets, mainly in the field. "The way this series is looking like panning out, fielding is going to be crucial. I think that will go against someone like Marcus Harris, whose fielding is not great," Taylor said.