Why Harris keeps his spot and Langer wants to keep his

Meanwhile, the biggest debate in England cricket circles is who will go first: the captain Joe Root or coach Chris Silverwood.

England have a list of selection headaches to deal with first, but cannot escape the terminal situation with its two leaders.

Langer’s determination to continue for a second term will play out over the next six months.

Not that long ago the passionate coach’s stewardship was under a barrage of attack in the media and behind the scenes in the team.

His methods were the subject of a mid-year crisis meeting between Tim Paine, Pat Cummins, Aaron Finch and Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley.

Langer was told he needed to change his ways and he has. He has delegated authority to a group of assistant coaches in whom he has faith.

His side has won the T20 World Cup and is now 2-0 up in the Ashes and operating with few concerns. Indeed, the Australians’ problems are positively first world, as they say, in comparison to the English, whose issues are multiple and manifest.

It is his ability to adapt — plus his recent success — that makes Cricket Australia’s next move its most interesting one.

CA will not say which way it intends to go when Langer’s contract is up for renewal, but there is a recognition in some circles that coaching three formats is too much for one man and something needs to give for everybody’s long term interests.

The same conclusion was reached in Darren Lehmann’s second term as coach and Ricky Ponting had been in line to take over as T20 coach, but that arrangement was abandoned when Langer replaced Lehmann.

Asked if he was still as passionate about the job and still keen to continue, Langer was adamant nothing has changed

“I’ve never thought differently to be honest,” Langer said on Thursday. “I’ve been consistent with what I’ve said for the last four years. I love my job.

“And the boys are playing well. No doubt about it. It’s a great team to be involved in. So nothing’s changed from my point of view.”

Asked if he wanted to remain in charge of Tests, ODIs and T20s, Langer responded: “Yes.”

Meanwhile, Harris is the only player in the top six under pressure through poor returns. He has made just 164 runs at 12.6 in the past seven Tests, with a highest score of 38.

Langer, who struggled to establish himself early in his career, said the opener would be given every chance to lock himself into the role as Warner’s partner.

“He’s an opening batter, an out-and-out opening batsman. It’s something we have spoken publicly and privately about, really cementing not just for the short term but for the long term our opening partnership,” he said.

“We’ve chopped and changed a lot over the last four or five years. Certainly, one of the building blocks of a great team is the opening partnership and the top three and we’re determined to get that right.

“We know how good a batsman he is in domestic cricket, he’s shown glimpses of it in Test cricket so far and we’re hopeful he’ll keep kicking on.

“What we see in the nets, what we see in domestic cricket all adds up to what we see as potentially a good Test career, so let’s hope he starts that off again on Boxing Day.”

Langer acknowledged that he feels an affinity for the player who was 14 when they first met.

“That’s our job as coaches and mentors to help these young guys find their feet firstly then prosper in international cricket,” Langer said. “It’s a tough gig. But we’re really confident Marcus has what it takes to be a successful opening batsman in Test cricket.”

Australia gave Hazlewood the option of staying in Sydney, which is reasonable indication he will not play at the MCG. Selectors are keeping an eye on Mitchell Starc, Jhye Richardson and Michael Neser to see how they have pulled up from five days in Adelaide, but one — most likely Neser — will make way for Pat Cummins.

Langer played down injury concerns for Starc.

“It’s just his rib, and I’ve never been a fast bowler but a lot of bowlers talk about when they come back to Test cricket they jam down on that rib area,” Langer said.

“He should be fine, he’s tough. If he’s not right, we’ll look at it, but at this stage there’s no indication he won’t be playing in the next Test match.”

“We’ve got to wait and see how Josh Hazlewood pulls up and also how Michael Neser and Jhye Richardson pull up.

“Both Michael and Jhye did a great job in the last Test match. We’ve got back-to-back matches, it’s a tough series, we all know that five Test matches are pretty much in a row.

“I honestly thought Mitch Starc was almost the man of the match last game,” Langer said.

“There’s been a lot of talk about Mitch Starc the last few years, but he just keeps turning up, he’s an unbelievable athlete. His resilience to just keep coming up over and over again is remarkable.

“The way he controlled the tempo of the game last game was a credit to him, particularly with Patty and Josh Hazlewood not playing, he did a fantastic job.

“I’d be very surprised if he didn’t get up for Boxing Day.”