Warner supports Konstas for Ashes squad, wants Labuschagne to bat at No. 3

Warner supports Konstas for Ashes squad, wants Labuschagne to bat at No. 3

Ashes 2025: David Warner has asked Australia’s selectors to stick with young opener Sam Konstas for the first Ashes Test in Perth. Warner believes Konstas has the skills to handle England’s fast bowlers.

Since Warner retired in early 2024, Australia has tried several players to partner Usman Khawaja at the top of the order. Konstas is the current choice, but he only scored 50 runs in six innings against the West Indies earlier this year. He’s one of five players tried in the last 15 Tests.

The selection battle continues this week in the Sheffield Shield. Konstas will play for New South Wales against Victoria, where he’ll face bowlers like Scott Boland and Fergus O’Neill. He had a tough start to the season, scoring just 4 and 14 against Western Australia on what Nathan Lyon called a “naughty” pitch. NSW coach Greg Shipperd also said people should consider the conditions before judging Konstas too harshly.

Meanwhile, Marnus Labuschagne is making a strong case for a comeback. He scored 160 for Queensland, in between two one-day centuries, and is being talked about as another option to open the batting.

At a cricket event in Sydney, Warner said, “I’d like them to give Sam another chance. He scored a hundred in the Australia A series in India and batted really well. I don’t think we’ve seen the best of him yet. Last year, he might’ve been overwhelmed by the big stage, but I’ve seen him play some great innings.”

Konstas made his Test debut at the MCG against India, where he was picked to take on Jasprit Bumrah, who had been troubling Australia’s top order. Konstas did well, scoring 60 off 65 balls, and followed it up with two useful knocks at the SCG. But he was dropped for the Sri Lanka tour, where Travis Head opened instead, and later had to bat in tough conditions in the Caribbean.

Warner thinks Konstas struggled to find the right tempo in his early Tests. While England has some good fast bowlers, Warner doesn’t think they require a special approach like Bumrah did. “They don’t have a Bumrah, so he doesn’t need to worry too much. He just needs to play his natural game,” Warner said.

He added that Konstas tried too hard to play a certain way against Bumrah and then continued that approach against other bowlers, which wasn’t needed. “He could’ve just played normally after dealing with Bumrah. If he figures that out, he’ll do well,” Warner said.

As for Labuschagne, Warner believes he’s done enough to earn a recall. “He averages 50 in Tests you can’t ignore that. But I wouldn’t want him to open. I’d prefer him at No. 3,” Warner said.

If Labuschagne returns at No. 3, Cameron Green would have to move down the order. That could make it harder for Beau Webster to keep his spot. Webster missed the first two Shield games due to an ankle injury but is still expected to be in the squad for Perth unless his form drops badly when he returns.