BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA - NOVEMBER 22: David Warner stretches during an Australian nets session at The Gabba on November 22, 2017 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
David Warner's fellow Test match opening partner Usman Khawaja has backed the under-fire David Warner to continue playing Tests for Australia.
Warner has been on the receiving end of criticism and questions regarding where he sees his future in red-ball cricket.
Warner has previously indicated he wishes to play India in the Border-Gavaskar series and in the Ashes against England during the 2023 calendar year. Beyond those fixtures, his ambitions are unknown.
Warner has been under some pressure as he has failed to score a Test century since early 2020. The recent series against the West Indies seemed a perfect chance to get amongst the runs, but Warner managed just 102 runs combined over the two-match series.
Despite the pressure Warner is under, Khawaja still considers Warner irreplaceable.
“(I) always feel like Davey is close to making runs, felt like he was going to get a big one last couple of games but he got a couple of 20s,” Khawaja said.
“I look at it from a wider perspective, think I said it after the game, it was more about that I've played domestic cricket the last few years, I've seen what's around, we've got some really good cricketers coming up, but we don't have any Dave Warners.
“The batting line-up we have right now, the top six, are the best players in the country.
“If you had the choice of picking David Warner or someone else, I'm picking David Warner every day of the week.
“Think the opposition players know that, too, because they know how quickly he can turn the game.”
The three-match Test series against South Africa begins December 17th at 11:20am AEDT, with the first Test at the Gabba. It will be an opportunity for Warner to reaffirm his grip on the opening spot.