David Warner is set to finish his international red-ball career this summer, with the left-handed opener hoping to retire after the Sydney Test against Pakistan.
Warner has been a mainstay of the Australian line-up since 2011, and in his nearly 15-year Test career, he’s had a whopping 12 opening partners.
While Warner has consistently started the innings off for Australia, his opening partner has been a revolving door and some of the names will shock you.
With that in mind, we’ve named the 12 players who have opened alongside the New South Welshman and provided an insight into how they fared in the role.
Phil Hughes
Hughes first opened with Warner in his Test debut of 2011 and the pair would only open together twice in the format.
While Hughes could have been Warner’s long-term partner, he tragically passed away aged just 25 after being struck by a bouncer in the Sheffield Shield.
Hughes opened the batting on 31 occasions for Australia, scoring 1072 runs at an average of 35.73.
Ed Cowan
Cowan was Warner’s second partner and he’d go on to open 29 times for his country.
The left-hander was a solid option and averaged 33.21 at the top of the order making 963 runs alongside Warner.
Glenn Maxwell
One of Warner’s most surprising opening partners, Maxwell batted at the top with Warner once in 2013 against India in Delhi.
The explosive all-rounder made just 8 runs. All of his other Test innings would come batting between number three and number eight.
Chris Rogers
One of Warner’s best fellow openers, Rogers was the ice to his partner’s fire and the duo worked well together.
Batting together first in 2013, Rogers scored 1996 runs at the top at a solid average of 44.35 alongside Warner.
The pair only stopped batting together when Rogers retired after the 2015 Ashes.
Shane Watson
One of Australia’s best all-rounders, Watson was primarily an opening batsman before Warner’s debut.
By the time Warner was in the side, Watson was reinventing himself as a number three that would bowl.
Overall as an opener, Watson averaged 40.98 from 2049 Test runs.
Shaun Marsh
A player who batted in a variety of slots for his country, Marsh was used as an opener on 10 occasions.
While he was primarily a number four or five, Marsh was by no means a bad partner for Warner as he scored 347 runs in the role at an average of 38.55.
Joe Burns
One of Warner’s partners who got a long run at the role, Burns opened at different times from 2015 to 2020.
The right-hander started the innings on 36 occasions at a solid average of 37.03. He scored 1296 of his 1442 Test runs at the top.
Matt Renshaw
Another opener that complimented Warner’s style, Renshaw kicked off the innings on 19 occasions between 2016 and 2018.
In that role, he scored 605 runs at 33.61. The Queenslander has since played for Australia as a middle-order option.
After going bat to open again in Shield cricket, Renshaw looms as one of the options to replace Warner once he steps away.
Cameron Bancroft
The man most likely to replace Warner, Bancroft was Warner’s opening partner in 10 Tests from 2017 to 2019 until the duo were involved in the ‘Sandpapergate’ scandal.
As an opener, Bancroft averages 26.23, with 446 Test runs to his name. He’ll hope to make a bigger impact at the level if given an opportunity once Warner steps away.
Marcus Harris
Another Test hopeful, Harris actually first got his chance to open during Warner’s international cricket ban.
Since then, the duo have played the bulk of two Ashes series together in both 2019 and 2021/22.
Harris has scored 607 Test runs in the role at an average of 25.29.
Will Pucovski
A player who many thought would be Warner’s long-term partner, Pucovski has only played one Test.
In that match, he scored 72 runs across two attempts. Since then, he’s battled injury, concussions and other health concerns.
Aged just 25 still, many hope that the Victorian can return as Australia’s key opener for much of the next decade and beyond.
Usman Khawaja
A childhood friend of Warner, Khawaja has easily been the best partner for the brutal left-hander.
Khawaja has opened 45 times for Australia, scoring 2363 runs in the role at an average of 60.59.
He’ll partner Warner in his last Test summer and is showing no signs of slowing down at age 36.
