Australia's most talented young batsmen, David Warner, must opening batting in third Test David Warner must open the batting in the third Test, says Ian Chappell. ON a tour where precious little has gone right, Australia finally received some good news - the return to form of aggressive batsman David Warner. Warner's return to the Test team can't come soon enough, as he's the one young batsman whose potentially destructive stroke play will worry England. The concern is Australia will relegate his explosive talents to No. 6, where they'll be diluted. Australia desperately need a batsman early in the order who will give the England bowlers something to think about. In form and in the opening spot, Warner is the most likely candidate. If they don't use him as an opener then he should bat no lower than three. If Warner comes in at six and Australia play true to form and are in deep trouble, his greatest attribute - an ability to destroy an attack quickly - is likely to be negated by the over-riding thought that he can't afford to be dismissed. This could have a debilitating effect on his style of batting and reduce him to playing for survival. Australia's current fascination with a strong middle-order needs to be revised so they have a chance to be the team causing trouble and not the one constantly averting it. How did a country, that for so long was renowned for regularly producing good young stroke makers, reach this parlous state? Through the golden years of the late 1990s and into the 2000s, people would tell me: "It's the coaches and academies that make Australia strong." "Bollocks," I'd respond. It's the same as when Don Bradman's 1948 Invincibles were so good - it's the system that churns out the elite players. That system is now in decay and has been for some time. When Australia were dominating, the board was warned by some former players there was trouble looming if they didn't address flaws in the system. As Don McLean wrote in his hit song Vincent: "They would not listen; they did not know how - perhaps they'll listen now." Ricky Ponting, Michael Hussey and Michael Clarke are the last Australian batsmen who grew up under something resembling the system the rest of the cricket world once envied. It used to be that a young batsman would be tossed in at a certain level and when he succeeded he would then be promoted. This process would be repeated until he either reached his ceiling or triumphantly made it to international level. If he did reach the pinnacle, the young player had already passed many thorough examinations posed by Test or first-class bowlers, which meant he was then well equipped to tackle international attacks. The best way for a talented batsman to improve quickly is to play as many matches as possible, preferably against experienced bowlers. Hour after hour in the nets facing bowlers or machines delivering balls is not a method designed to bring success at international level. The system that once produced the likes of Brad Hodge, Stuart Law, Martin Love and Michael Bevan as cast-offs unable to force their way into a strong Test line-up is now struggling to unearth batsmen who are equipped for a tough five-day match. A system that was in slow decline when Clarke and Hussey graduated reached avalanche proportions when Twenty20 became the favoured brand of cricket. Last year, I witnessed the under-19 World Cup in Townsville and left convinced Australia's next generation of batsmen are far from ready to step into the breach. When I saw them play and then cast my mind back to seeing a 17-year-old Ponting dominate at the Academy, there was a gulf of difference. Many of the Australian batsmen currently in England have devised methods designed to cut down on the ways of being dismissed. In reality, they're only making themselves more vulnerable. The batsmen in the current side have become a burden on the Australian bowlers, which will quickly wear them down. If Warner's talents are under-utilised and the batsmen put in another performance like that at Lord's, then the bowlers will be entitled to go on strike.