'I imagine it will stay the same' - Pat Cummins backs under-fire Australia batter to be in the mix for fourth Ashes Test 

Pat Cummins (Source: Twitter)

David Warner has been under scrutiny for a long time due to his poor form and the debate over his place in the Australia Test squad has intensified following his not-so-impressive performance in the ongoing Ashes series. The Aussie opener has managed just one half-century in six innings so far and some expect him to be replaced in the fourth Test. However, skipper Pat Cummins has backed the veteran to retain his place at the top order in Manchester.

The selectors have yet to make a decision on the starting 11 for the next Test, but Warner is likely to be in the mix after being part of the slip cordon during practice on Monday. Meanwhile, while admitting the southpaw failed to contribute with the bat in Leeds, Cummins said Warner had shown plenty of positive signs in the series and faced the new ball well.

On the opening pair for the fourth Test, Cummins said: "We'll chat about it, but I imagine it will stay the same. I think has been going really well. I thought at Lord's, he was really impressive. Last week, like many of us, he probably didn't contribute as much as he would have liked with the bat.

"He's been out there over the last couple of days putting in a lot of work, but I think this tour he has shown a lot of good signs and hasn't quite kicked on to make that big score. Some of those innings he's played under really tough circumstances have made it easy for Smith to come in and score runs, or the like."

'It’s all really conditions based': Pat Cummins on Australia's bowling combination for the fourth Test

Australia have won the first two Tests at Edgbaston and Lord's, respectively, to take a 2-0 lead. However, England bounced back in the third Test at Headingley to reduce their deficit and stay alive in the series. A win at Old Trafford will help the visitors retain the title and avoid the series going to a decider.

If Warner is retained, it is likely to be the same team that played the third Test, unless Todd Murphy is removed to go with an all-pace attack. However, the pacer said the team will finalise the bowling attack after assessing the pitch conditions.

“Every situation is different. We’ve played games with one quick , we’ve played some games with heaps of quicks. It’s all really conditions based," said Cummins.

“As I said last week about Toddy, I would have loved to bowl him a bit more but there wasn’t a heap of overs in the game, the ball seemed to swing and seam a little bit, so that’s certainly something to weigh up this week,” he concluded.