Ashes 2023: Australia captain Pat Cummins refuses to guarantee David Warner selection for Manchester Test

Australia captain Pat Cummins has refused to guarantee the selection of David Warner for the Manchester Test in the Ashes 2023 series.

Saying that the team management would keep all their options open following the defeat at Headingley.

Warner is slowly winding down his Test career and the ongoing series is all set to be his final Ashes. The selection of the 36-year-old ahead of the five Tests against England was widely debated as he had struggled for form heading into the contest.

Warner showed some fight in the Lord’s Test as he scored an aggressive fifty in the first innings. However, the outing at Leeds was one to forget for the opener as he was dismissed by his arch-nemesis Stuart Broad.

Broad dismissed the Aussie opener twice in the match, having now dismissed Warner 17 times in his Test career. England would end up winning the Headingley test by three wickets to make the series 2-1 heading into the game at Manchester.

Speaking after the match, as quoted by Fox Sports, Cummins was asked if Warner could be dropped to accommodate Cameron Green and the in-form Mitchell Marsh in the side. The Australian captain refused to guarantee a place for the opener and said that the team would keep their options open.

“We’ll keep all our options open. We’ve got nine or 10 days now, so we’ll take a deep breath.”

“We’ll go away for a few days but everyone comes back into it. Greeny should be fit for Manchester, we should have a full roster. So we’ll have a look at the wicket, have a chat and work out the best XI,” said Cummins.

When asked about the omission of Marsh from the side despite scoring 118, Cummins was more strident.

“It’s possible, but it was a pretty impressive week wasn’t it?” he said.