Cricket legend Mark Taylor asks Australia coaches to make a decision on David Warner’s future

Australian cricket great Mark Taylor urged the national coaches to make a decision on David Warner’s future as soon as possible, warning that the Australians were in danger of heading to England for the Ashes with an unstable side.

Warner’s tour of India ended miserably last week, with the veteran returning to Australia with a broken elbow and concussion which he suffered in the second Test in Delhi.

The 36-year-old was batless in the second innings as Australia lost nine wickets in 90 minutes to allow India to take an unassailable 2–0 lead in the four Test series.

Warner averaged a modest 26.04 from 25 innings in England, and although Australia retained the Ashes for the 2019 tour, he averaged just 9.5.

‘Is it time to start thinking about the future? You don’t normally do that around the Ashes, normally you would after the Ashes,’ Taylor told Nine’s Sports Sunday.

“Usually you pick a very stable side for England, maybe with a hitter you think will be your future, and that’s the side you pick.

“We’re not exactly there at the moment and they’re not sure which way to go.”

Warner’s brilliant double ton against South Africa at the MCG on the Boxing Day Test was his only century in Test cricket since January 2019 and his future at the top of the order is increasingly under a cloud.

He made 1, 10 and 15 in three Border-Gavaskar series innings in India, bringing his average in the country to 21.78.

There have been warning signs that the end is near for Warner, with the left-hander explaining that he felt “exhausted, tired” ahead of the tour.

However, he insisted that he wanted to continue playing test cricket for Australia.

‘I’ve always said I’m playing until 2024; if the selectors think I’m not worthy of my place, so be it, and I can move up to the cue ball,’ Warner told reporters at Sydney Airport upon his return to Australia last week.

I have the next 12 months, a lot of cricket ahead of me for the team and if I can continue to score runs and do my best for the team and help my place then that would be great for the team.

‘It’s an easy choice (for the critics) when you’re 36 going on 37.’

Former Australian captain Allan Border has suggested that the selectors drop Warner ahead of this winter’s Ashes, arguing that the opening bouts in India could hasten a change at the top of the order.

And Taylor believes Warner’s comments could force the selectors’ hand.

‘Dave came in and said he wants to stick around until 2024, so he wants to go to England later this year, he wants to play in Australia next summer,’ Taylor said.

‘For me, the selectors need to make a decision.

‘If they take David Warner and one of probably (Cameron) Bancroft or (Matthew) Renshaw to England, Dave would be the first to go.

‘Or they make a decision now and say, ‘Let’s take the two younger guys (…) let’s make a change now’.

“That’s the decision they need to make.”