Michael Atherton: Australia had to go with David Warner for Ashes series | England will pressure him | Cricket News

Sky Sports’ Michael Atherton looks at why Australia have gone with David Warner and whether England will target him in the Ashes…

Why have Australia gone with Warner? Will England target him?

“Warner has been a great player for a long time, that is the first thing to say.

“His form has dropped off significantly over the last few years and he is 36 years of age so he is in the last bit of his career.

“If they had an absolutely top notch, ready-made replacement, then there might have been a stronger case for leaving him out.

“But if you look at those who are in the squad as kind of back-up openers – Matthew Renshaw, Marcus Harris – they are not really established Test-match openers.

“So they are desperate for Warner to have one last hurrah here in England.

“I think the problem for David Warner is of course his form has not been good and his form in the last Ashes [in England], when he came unstuck against Stuart Broad, he averaged I think 9.5 in what was a pretty horrific series for him.

“So he has got to banish all those bad memories and recent memories of England and try and finish strongly.

“It is going to be his last Ashes tour and last Ashes series, in all probability, and he will want to finish on a high. He is, or has been, a high-class player for a long period of time,

Obviously with what is to come behind him in the order, which is their two gun players if you like – Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith – if you can get one of [the openers] early, it means that you get Labuschagne and Smith in early against the new ball. And you are more likely to get top-class players out early when the ball is new and doing a bit.

“They will want to keep the pressure on Warner for all kinds of reasons.

“The Australian selectors have named a squad for the first two Test matches so they will want to put the pressure on Warner to try and make the selectors make a change there and also to try and get those players at three and four in against the new ball.

“So, there is all kinds of reasons why they will want to do well against him.”

‘Australia will be more fearful vs a strong England side’

“I think (Australia) will be more fearful than the last series.

“Obviously Australia are really strong at home, they haven’t won in England in 20 years, so they know it is a tough place to come and win.

“England are completely revitalised in the last 12 months under Stokes and McCullum, so they will be facing a very different England side to the one that they faced two winters ago down under when they brushed England aside.

“The personnel is not that different, but they are being led very differently by Stokes and McCullum.

“I think Australia will know they are going to be up against a strong England side.

“If you look at the [Australia] starting X1, it is a really strong side.

“They are in the Test Championship final, they have been playing well for a couple of years.

“It is not hard to see what their first-choice side is going to be. It is going to be Usman Khawaja, Warner, Labuschagne, Smith, Cameron Green, Travis Head, the wicketkeeper Alex Carey, then the three top-class fast bowlers and Nathan Lyon, the spinner.

“So, the first XI is very strong and it is five Test matches in about seven weeks, so it is going to be a lot of stress and strain on the seamers. They only have one in the squad to back them up, Scott Boland, who made a dramatic entry into the last Ashes Series.

“Overall, it is a strong squad. Australia don’t bring weak cricket teams to England but they haven’t won here in a long time.

“They have brought really top-notch sides before in the last 20 years and they haven’t won. They haven’t won since 2001, that is a long time.”