by “He’s keen to continue at this stage. He hasn’t hinted [at] something else,” McDonald said. “His appetite for the work — in and around practice — is still there. He is busy on the ground and you have seen signs that he is doing well. He’s just found different ways to get out, and sometimes that can happen.
“We are building towards a world championship in tests [final], and he wants to be a part of that. So that’s a clear focus for us, and we have South Africa as part of that. And so on to India.”
“We’ll see what happens in the next three Tests. But at this stage he’s firmly in our thoughts for India,” McDonald said. “We’ve seen that the more times you travel around certain areas of the world, the better you get at it.
“But it’s also the knowledge he can pass on to the younger players in and amongst that. We really value our senior players – both on and off the field – in terms of that education process. So it’s a big advantage for those players to be tour in those areas and even if they don’t play, they can still have an impact.”
Ahead of what should be a tough three-match series against South Africa – which boasts a star-studded pace attack – Warner has been backed to shrug off the lingering off-field tumult before the first Test at the Gabba starts in December 17.
“He is good at dividing, [and] distinguish off-field from on-field. And I think most of the majors do very well,” McDonald said. “I feel like this situation is no different. We respect and understand David’s decision to withdraw from this appeal process.
“He’s progressed, we’re progressing as a team and we’ve got a seriously good opponent coming up against us at the Gabba. So our focus is definitely on that … and so is David’s.”
