Prime Minister's XI could become a shootout to find David Warner's Test replacement

Cricket Australia chair of selectors George Bailey is set to meet with Tony Dodemaide and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to settle on next month's Prime Minister's XI squad.

The Prime Minister's XI's four-day fixture against Pakistan at Manuka Oval from December 6 is the final first class game on the calendar before the Test summer and Big Bash begin.

Warner is set to retire from Test cricket as one of Australia's greatest following the SCG Test in January, leaving a void before a two-Test series against the West Indies and a tour of New Zealand.

Cam Bancroft has emerged as the favourite to replace Warner, scoring 458 runs at 76.33 during the Sheffield Shield this season. The WA opener finished almost 300 clear of the next best last season.

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Bancroft could use the Prime Minister's XI fixture as his final audition, while Matt Renshaw, Marcus Harris and Henry Hunt have all been floated in Test discussions.

"The timing of the match comes at an important stage of the summer with five home Tests and two away in New Zealand," Bailey said, with tickets on sale from Monday.

"We've seen some strong individual performances to start the Sheffield Shield season and with another round left before the squad will be selected, we are looking forward to seeing players continue to put their hands up for selection.

"Opportunities to face international opposition like this are rare and taken seriously, and as such we are looking to select a strong and highly talented squad."

The opportunity to turn the Prime Minister's XI fixture into a genuine selection trial is a boost for a game which had struggled for relevance in recent years.

The match returned to the calendar last season in a four-day, day-night timeslot after a two-year exile initially brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, with Matt Renshaw posting 81 and 101 not out in a drawn clash with the West Indies.

This year's edition is a four-day red-ball match, giving Pakistan a tune-up before a three-Test tour begins in Perth on December 14 and is rounded out with the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne and Sydney's New Year's Test.

"Pakistan is such a proud cricketing nation," Albanese said.

"I've previously loved watching players like Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis steaming in with the new ball, so I'm excited the PM's XI will face the talented Pakistan squad in Canberra.

"In the coming weeks, I will meet with the national selectors to discuss what I suspect will be a strong PM's XI."

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