As Australia’s Test selectors scour the cupboards for an opener to replace David Warner, the man himself has put his hand up for a shock return.

Warner’s retirement last summer left Australia with question marks over who would open alongside Usman Khawaja.

After a brief, four-Test experiment up top, Steve Smith will return to number four when Australia meets India in five Tests this summer, leaving coach Andrew McDonald and chairman of selectors George Bailey with a major headache at the top of the order.

But Warner told News Corp: “I’m always available, [they’ve] just got to pick up the phone.”

While he is probably at least half joking and it may sound extreme given Warner retired from Tests after the third game against Pakistan at the SCG in January, the 37-year-old said he is not that far behind the eight-ball in terms of recent red-ball experience.

“I’m always dead serious. Let’s be honest, the guys have played one red-ball game [first round of Sheffield Shield] since their last Test matches in February, so I’ve almost had the same preparation,” he said, although most candidates are currently in the middle of their second Shield game this season.

“I did retire for the right reasons to finish the game, and I wanted to finish. [But] my hand is up if they desperately need someone. I’m not going to shy away from that.”

Warner said he had “cheekily messaged” McDonald and Bailey, and the coach reminded him he retired.

“I don’t think he wants to give me the pleasure of him saying ‘can you come back?’,” Warner said.

The selectors may be getting desperate as no opener has truly starred to start the summer.

Victorian Marcus Harris, who was next man up behind Warner for years, scored 143 and 52 to open the season before being dismissed for 26 and 16 against NSW.

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Experienced South Australian Henry Hunt also notched a century, while 19-year-old New South Welshman Sam Konstas scored duel tons in just his fifth first-class game.

Warner suggested selectors could look elsewhere in the top order for his replacement while waiting for someone like Konstas to come of age.

“It doesn’t necessarily have to be an opener. I think you can have someone else that can come in and bat three and Marnus [Labuschagne] could open,” he said.

“Is Nathan McSweeney [55, 127*, 37 and 72 for SA] a good enough player to come in and bat 3?

“Konstas can definitely in time be that long-term opening batsman … but I think you still have to see a little bit more.”

Smith and many of Australia’s other established players will miss the next round of Shield games due to the limited-overs series against Pakistan from November 4, before the five-Test series with India starts on November 22.

Beth Mooney’s big-game prowess will be crucial to Australia’s push for a fourth straight T20 World Cup title, with Alyssa Healy no certainty to return from a foot injury.

Australia remained unsure on Tuesday whether Healy would feature in the finals, after being left on crutches following last week’s foot injury against Pakistan.

Healy’s fate remains with medical staff, with the captain not expected to train on Tuesday but yet to be officially ruled out of the tournament.

India’s group-stage exit has also impacted Healy’s chances, with Australia now slated to play the first semifinal on Friday morning (AEDT) in Dubai, rather than Saturday.

Australia will face England, South Africa or West Indies, depending on results in the other group.

If Healy does miss out, it is likely that Grace Harris will open alongside Mooney, after the big-hitting Queenslander struck 40 against India earlier this week.

But still, it is Mooney who will shoulder the load at the top of the order.

Regarded as Australia’s most reliable player through their run of dominance, data now shows that Mooney has been the world’s best-performing batter in big games.

She has hit half-centuries in her past three T20 World Cup knockout games, while her average of 63 sits above any player with more than three innings in semifinals and finals.

Mooney’s record extends to 50-over World Cups, where she averages 53 in finals matches, while she is also the leading run-scorer in all WBBL finals matches.

“The beauty of World Cups is you’re playing a different team every time,” Mooney told AAP ahead of the tournament.

“You have to let the last thing go and there’s not really any demon on your shoulder about a certain player getting you out all the time or a different way.

“It’s always a different opportunity in each game.

“Whereas sometimes in a bilateral series, you might play three ODIs and three T20s against the same bowlers. You start to overthink against them.

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“I think that’s maybe why I have done OK in the past. Because I can let things go pretty easily and worry about the next thing. Hopefully, that trend continues.”

If Australia do lose Healy, their other option would be moving Phoebe Litchfield up to open alongside Mooney.

Litchfield has batted at the top of the order in 50-over cricket, but feels comfortable in the middle in T20s.

“I actually really love that position in this side,” Litchfield said.

“Coming in after the likes of Pez [Ellyse Perry] and Ash [Gardner], it gives me so much confidence to come in and play freely.

“In the future I can potentially work my way up. But I feel like I would get impostor syndrome if I was above them. I’m very content.”

AAP

Australia are set to name a new opening batter for the five-Test series against India and move Steve Smith down the order to replace injured all-rounder Cameron Green.

Cricket Australia (CA) confirmed on Monday that Green would undergo surgery on a stress fracture in his back and miss six months of cricket rather than target a quicker return but risk re-injury.

That seemingly left selectors with two options for the home series against India and subsequent tour of Sri Lanka: Either name a new all-rounder or push Smith down the order to replace Green.

On Monday, CA chief selector George Bailey revealed Smith had already approached captain Pat Cummins and coach Andrew McDonald to flag his hopes of returning to the middle order.

Smith began opening the batting alongside Usman Khawaja following David Warner’s retirement midway through last summer, but averaged only 28.50 across his four Tests at the top.

Selectors are now poised to abandon the experiment and name Smith at number four — Green’s old spot and the position where the 35-year-old has batted in 67 of his 109 Tests.

“Pat and Andrew have confirmed that he’ll be dropping back down the order for the summer,” Bailey said.

“Clearly we’ve got a number-four spot to fill and an opening spot to fill.”

Marcus Harris and Cameron Bancroft appear the two leading candidates for that opening spot as Australia fight to avoid a third consecutive home-series loss to India.

Both were named in the Australia A squad on Monday alongside teenaged NSW opener Sam Konstas, who blasted two centuries in only his fifth first-class match last week.

But the preference appears to be for either Bancroft or Harris. Both are former Test players and proven performers at Sheffield Shield level in recent years.

“[Konstas] is in the mix, as are plenty of others. I certainly don’t want to single him out,” Bailey said.

“The consistency of Cam Bancroft over a number of years, the consistency of Marcus Harris over a number of years, they’ve both had a look at Test cricket as well.

“I don’t think there’s any need at this stage to put any undue pressure or expectation on Sam.”

Bailey expected Mitch Marsh would be ready to help ease pressure on the big three quicks this summer after the decision to replace Green with a specialist opener seemingly left Australia short a pace option.

Marsh’s medium pace has been used sparingly since the all-rounder returned to the Test set-up last year, the burly West Australian bowling only 38 overs across his last seven Tests.

“You don’t know how a Test is going to play out in terms of the workload for the quicks or how much of an impact Nathan Lyon is going to have across the summer,” Bailey said.

“We’ll continue preparing for Mitch Marsh to be able to bowl some overs as well. That’s been part of his management for the last couple of months.”

After being diagnosed with his stress fracture during the white-ball tour of the UK, Green spent more than a week holding meetings on return to Australia to determine whether to undergo surgery.

A CA statement revealed a “unique defect” in an area adjacent to the lumbar spine fracture had been contributing to the latest in a string of back injuries for 25-year-old Green.

“The decision to proceed to surgery is with Cameron’s long-term future as an all-rounder in mind,” CA’s statement read.

In recent years, Jason Behrendorff and James Pattinson have been among other Australian representative fast bowlers to bounce back from surgery on similarly serious lower back injuries.

AAP