McDonald shelves coach call ahead of tour

Andrew McDonald has all but confirmed Usman Khawaja's spot at the top of the order in his native Pakistan as Australia prepare to tour there for the first time in 24 years.

The interim coach also said he hadn't officially put his hat in the ring for the permanent job following Justin Langer's resignation, despite the likelihood of Cricket Australia settling on a replacement mid-tour.

The Test squad will depart this weekend for Australian cricket's first tour of any kind since Mark Taylor's men visited in 1998.

The three-Test series, beginning in Rawalpindi on March 4, will be the first abroad for Pat Cummins as captain and Australia's first away Tests since the 2019 Ashes.

And it comes hot on the heels of Langer's controversial departure.

McDonald insists the coaching decision won't distract him, even though he admits he'll need to make a call "once we see what the job looks like".

"I haven't had any conversations ... there's been speculation around whether it'll be split roles or one coach," McDonald said.

"That will all come out, but the key thing for us is to focus on the cricket.

"(But) clearly I'll have to make a decision before that (series finishes) if the process is run to the timeline CA are giving."

The former Test allrounder would rather discuss his likely team, backing in Khawaja to partner fellow 35-year-old David Warner at the top of the order and endorsing Cameron Green's ability as the third seamer to accommodate two spinners.

He said Marcus Harris, who has returned to form for Victoria since Khawaja forced his way back to the top of the Australian order in the last Ashes Test, could still feature in a different role in Pakistan.

"He's going well, putting runs on the board which is not uncommon for Marcus