Cummins coy on Warner call after axing rumour

1 year ago 90

Australian skipper Pat Cummins expects seasoned opener David Warner to play successful the 2nd Test against India.

All eyes volition beryllium connected the Aussie teamsheet astatine the flip successful Delhi connected Friday day (AEDT) aft Cummins failed to sanction an XI astatine his property league connected Thursday.

Warner - the 36-year-old firebrand who's played 102 Test matches for his state - has been successful the weapon again this week aft the squad was rolled by an innings and 132 runs successful Nagpur.

He scored 1 and 10, and his wide Test mean successful India is simply a measly 22.16 from 9 matches.

Warner's erstwhile teammate Mitchell Johnson called for the batter to beryllium axed for the Delhi match, successful favour of elevating Matt Renshaw to the apical and bringing Travis Head backmost into his accustomed spot astatine No.5.

Reports successful outlets including The Sydney Morning Herald suggested Head whitethorn adjacent unfastened the batting successful lieu of Warner.

"I'm not a selector. I don't deliberation they've had a gathering but I'm definite Davey volition beryllium there," Cummins said connected Thursday astir Warner.

"You saw [last] twelvemonth astatine the Boxing Day Test erstwhile helium puts unit backmost connected the opposition, he's beauteous hard to vessel to.

"You don't get arsenic galore bully balls, truthful helium knows that. I'm definite that'd beryllium portion of his plan.

"He has been batting truly good here. Even successful the lead-up, I thought helium was fantastic. I cognize there's a batch of speech astir rotation bowling done the mediate but with that caller shot it's sometimes the hardest clip to bat arsenic well."

Starc aiming for second Test

There are a number of imaginable changes hanging implicit the Australian team, but those extracurricular the campy won't cognize a last XI until Cummins announces it astatine 2.30pm Friday.

While Warner is an intriguing one, it's the bowling line-up that is astir apt to change.

Much hinges connected the fittingness of all-rounder Cameron Green, who missed the Nagpur lucifer owed to a breached digit sustained astatine the MCG successful December.

If Green tin play successful Delhi the Aussies tin usage him arsenic the 2nd accelerated bowler, combining with Cummins, and past prime 3 rotation bowlers.

Ashton Agar and squad newcomer Matt Kuhnemann are fighting for the close to play alongside off-spinners Todd Murphy and Nathan Lyon, who are adjacent to nary accidental of being omitted.

But if Green fails to beryllium acceptable successful clip for the match, Mitchell Starc whitethorn request to travel successful - having recovered from his ain digit wounded - and Australia volition apt instrumentality with lone 2 specializer spinners, truthful arsenic to support immoderate batting depth.

"Starcy and Green had bully sessions (Wednesday) and we volition measure them aboriginal connected today," Cummins said connected Thursday.

"We don't person a enactment done them yet, we'll see.

"Having a right-hander (Green) helps and him providing our 5th bowling enactment besides helps.

"He's a large player. It surely helps the squad relation good from batting and bowling."

Cummins would not beryllium drawn connected whether Agar oregon Kuhnemann - who some crook the shot distant from the right-hander - would drawback the 3rd spinning spot.

"If we wanted a 3rd spinner assortment we'd beryllium comfy with either of those two."

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