Australia keep door ajar for Warner's successor to emerge

Andrew McDonald insists selectors still have "no firm views" on who David Warner's Test successor will be, but Australia’s head coach has kept the door open for leading Marsh Sheffield Shield performers to be usurped by a batter with strong white-ball form.

While Warner batted in sunglasses at training in Perth on Sunday as Australia assembled for his final Test series, the veteran opener has shown few signs of feeling the heat following the latest round of scrutiny over his position leading into the three-match NRMA Insurance campaign against Pakistan.

The 37-year-old wants a home-Test swansong in Sydney, and will likely get it, though McDonald reiterated that the opener's spot, like everyone else's, remains subject to ongoing review.

"Davey's playing the first Test match and we'll go from there," the coach told reporters following a centre-wicket session at the WACA Ground.

And McDonald stressed that until a replacement for Warner is required, no succession plan has been put in place.

Matthew Renshaw, who scored a tour-match century against Pakistan on a turgid Canberra pitch this week, along with Cameron Bancroft and Marcus Harris have emerged as the frontrunners having had varying degrees of success in the Shield in recent years.

"We know they can play, they've got good numbers in Shield cricket and I think if we were to go down that path and choose one of them, I think they would do a really good job," McDonald said of the trio who have each played at least 10 Tests.

But a less conventional approach remains a consideration.

Cameron Green will begin the summer on the outer after McDonald confirmed Mitch Marsh would stay at six against Pakistan after seizing Green’s spot during the Ashes earlier this year.

But the younger allrounder's standing in the selectors' eyes could see him replace Warner when his spot becomes available, a situation that would likely see another batter promoted to open to allow Green to return to the middle order.

Marnus Labuschagne and Mitch Marsh have been floated as options, while Travis Head opens in ODIs and T20s and took on the new ball when Warner missed the second half of the India Test series earlier this year.

McDonald, who reiterated that the introduction of the World Test Championship has only increased the necessity for Australia to pick their best XI for every match, suggested strong performances in limited-overs cricket could hold relevance for the longer format.

"I think a lot of our white-ball players that continue to play international cricket don't get a lot of Shield cricket, so there's always that 'are they at the mercy of selection because they're not playing a certain format?'" he said.

"You've got to really juggle that and balance that. We feel as though you can come from different running lines.

"But the Shield competition, for mine, is very strong. We've had some difficult wickets this year, so it's been really hard to get a judge on what the batting units actually look like and what they may look like at international level.

"… the currency is runs and there's some players that have put their hand up there.

"I think we're in good hands and I think the domestic competition prepares them well.

"Everyone sort of looks to the future and worries about what's next, and someone always puts their hand up.

"The next decision is the most important one once Dave goes. Dave hasn’t gone yet so we don’t have to make a decision."

NRMA Insurance Test series v Pakistan

Prime Minister's XI v Pakistan XI: December 6-9, Manuka Oval (10.30am AEDT)

First Test: December 14-18, Perth Stadium (1.20pm AEDT)

Second Test: December 26-30, MCG (10.30am AEDT)

Third Test: January 3-7, SCG (10.30am AEDT)

Australia squad: (first Test only) Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Lance Morris, Steve Smith, Mitch Starc, David Warner

Pakistan squad: Shan Masood (c), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Saud Shakeel and Shaheen Shah Afridi