Maxwell flown in as cover as Warner doubtful starter

Australia again have an unsettled XI for the Ashes opener, this time because of David Warner’s untimely neck injury that has prompted the selectors to summon Glenn Maxwell to Brisbane.

The selection debate is back on, having raged so robustly over the past month – culminating in one of the hardest meetings Trevor Hohns had chaired.

Ten players spearheading their nation’s bid to reclaim the urn, which begins today in Brisbane, are locked in – barring any lastminute mishaps.

But it remains to be seen whether Warner, who remains restricted by his stiff neck but very confident he will face England after batting in the nets yesterday, will take his place at the top of the order.

The vice-captain will be given until the last minute to prove his fitness but, if Hohns and team medicos decide Warner isn’t fit enough to feature in the first test, Shaun Marsh will open alongside Cameron Bancroft.

Maxwell would be asked to bat at No 6 in his first test on home soil – a week after being overlooked in favour of Marsh and a day after dashing to Melbourne Airport on short notice.

‘‘He said he’ll even bat like Shivnarine Chanderpaul if he has to,’’ skipper Steve Smith said of Warner, referencing the West Indian’s unique face-on technique that makes his own look orthodox.

‘‘He’s very confident and he says he’ll be right to go.

‘‘He’ll be OK. It’s part and parcel of playing cricket. Guys have injuries every now and then, and have little niggles.

‘‘He’s improved a fair bit over the last 24 hours and, hopefully, he can keep improving and be 100 per cent at 10am.’’

Barring any dramatic improvements overnight, it will be somewhat of a calculated gamble to select Warner, with the worstcase scenario being for him to play then retire hurt shortly after the toss. Equally, the hosts will be desperate for Warner to play because of his ability to change the game in a single session.

‘‘I’m sure he will be fine,’’ England captain Joe Root said.

‘‘These sort of things tend to crop up before a big series but I don’t think we need to change our plans on anything. We’ll still prepare the same and be absolutely ready for him to play.’’

The aggressive opener twinged his neck on Tuesday morning while taking a catch at the Gabba.

He was in obvious discomfort when he attempted to bat on Tuesday, lasting only two throwdowns before trudging off to the rooms for treatment.

Warner received treatment overnight and hit the nets yesterday morning after a brief chat with team physio David Beakley.

It wasn’t exactly the most exacting session, with Warner batting in a hat and only facing throwdowns. He started cautiously then finished with a flurry of pull shots.

Interested onlookers Beakley and chairman of selectors Hohns both appeared somewhat satisfied with proceedings.

‘‘I don’t think a sore neck is going to keep me out [of the test],’’ Warner declared on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Root insists he isn’t sweating on Ben Stokes’ rumoured arrival, saying England are more than capable of defending the Ashes urn without the matchwinning allrounder.

Stokes is reportedly set to find out this week whether he will be charged by police for his involvement in a Bristol street brawl in September which left a man hospitalised with facial injuries.

There are suggestions Stokes will be cleared by police and the England and Wales Cricket Board, possibly in time to join the squad ahead of the second test in Adelaide.

Root admitted Stokes would be a ‘‘big miss’’ for them in the first test but was adamant they had the squad to clinch their first Ashes series in Australia since 2010-11.

‘‘I think if you asked any captain in the world in any form of cricket ‘would you prefer to have Ben Stokes in your squad?’ . . . they would all say yes,’’ Root said.

‘‘He is someone who can win you a game within a session with both bat and ball and, of course, he will be a big miss to us.

‘‘But we have prepared well with the group we have and that is completely out of our control.’’

Stokes has ramped up speculation he will soon link with England by posting Instagram videos of himself bowling at full tilt and hitting back at Matthew Hayden on Twitter for saying England were a team of no-names.

‘‘Until we know further what the situation is with him, we have to get on with things with the group we have,’’ Root said.

‘‘I am more than happy with the squad we have got. We are more than capable of winning the series.’’

Former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting believed it would be great for the series if Stokes did eventually join the England squad.

‘‘At the end of the day, it would great to see him play,’’ he said.

‘‘It would be great for the series. Everybody wants to see him play.

‘‘He’s one of the outstanding players in world cricket.

‘‘But we’ll wait and see what the investigation brings.’’

- AAP