David Warner feels Will Pucovski is the frontrunner to open alongside him in Ashes 2021-22

Veteran Australian opener David Warner reckons youngster Will Pucovski is the frontrunner to open with him in the upcoming Ashes 2021-22. The high-voltage Test series will get underway on December 8 in Brisbane and the management of both teams would be identifying the best combination. Having lost 1-2 to India at home in their last Test assignment, the Aussies have a point to prove in the series.

Hence, the team management would want to field their best XI in the opening game. Selecting the opening combination will be one of the first challenges of the home team. Australia haven’t had a settled opening combination since a while. While David Warner has been a common constant in recent years, his opening partners have constantly been juggling.

However, Warner feels Will Pucovski could accompany him at the top during the high-voltage series against England. Highlighting that the likes of Usman Khawaja and Marcus Harris are also in the race, the 34-year-old said Pucovski is the top contender.

Will Pucovski frontrunner at this stage: David Warner

“For me, it’s about giving opportunities to people who deserve those opportunities. I think there are two guys at the moment that are sitting there waiting, that’s Will Pucovski and Marcus Harris,” Warner told 2GB’s Wide World of Sports radio.

“There is obviously talk about Usman Khawaja, he scored a good 150 recently, a senior player. There are opportunities there for the selectors to pick who they want. Given Pucovski got injured and he was in the team, I think he is the frontrunner at this stage,” he added. Pucovski, a promising young batsman, has played some fine knocks in Australia’s domestic circuit.

However, multiple injuries have been inroads in his career. While the 23-year-old looked set to hit the ground running after undergoing a shoulder surgery, he sustained another setback after suffering his tenth concussion during training.

The promising cricketer had made his debut Test debut against India last summer and scored 62 in his first innings. Hence, it would be interesting to see whether he gets a chance against the English team or not. Meanwhile, Australia and England are currently plying their trade in the T20 World Cup 2021.