David Warner’s shift to middle-order further boosts Australia’s batting ahead of ICC World T20 2016
David Warner's shift to middle-order further boosts Australia's batting ahead of ICC World T20 2016
Back in January 2009, a 22-year-old David Warner made his T20I debut for Australia even before he had played First-Class cricket. He blasted 43-ball 89 and was hailed as the side’s T20I messiah. Years down the line, Warner’s has been a curious case as he went on to be more successful in Tests and ODIs. FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: South Africa vs Australia, 3rd T20I at Cape Town
Right since the inception of the game, Australia by a distance have been the best cricketing side. For major parts of Test cricket’s close-to-140-years history, Australia have dominated. So is the case with ODIs, where they have won 5 of the 11 World Cups so far, have been runners-up twice and have also pocketed two Champions Trophies. One format that they have not excelled is Twenty20.
T20 is a relatively new format. While there is no apparent reason why Australia have not done so well as they should have, the cause can be traced to priorities. Despite the nation’s interest in the multi-million dollar BBL, Cricket Australia (CA) have laid more focus on the other two formats; now, however, it does seem that thoughts are being put to strengthen their T20 battery.
After defeating India 4-1 in the ODI series earlier this year, the sides clashed in a T20I series that India won 3-0. Aaron Finch was replaced by Steven Smith as the side’s skipper in the shortest format and lot of brains went into figuring out the right combination. Warner may have only opened in T20Is before but team management, selectors, captain Smith and coach Darren Lehmann thought novel, breaking the conventional shackles.
Their weakness was exposed against India. Australia relied heavily on their top order. In Warner, Shane Watson, Finch and Usman Khawaja, they had four quality opening batsmen to choose from. The weakness lay in the middle-order. While there is no doubt over Smith’s ability to bat in this format, his T20I record is not very encouraging. Glenn Maxwell can win matches on his own but for a player of his ballistic nature, he has failed when his side needed him the most. The middle-order failed against India and that played a massive role in the 0-3 outcome.
Ahead of ICC World T20 2016, Australia toured South Africa for a T20I series, which they managed to win 2-1, Warner was moved down the order and he responded to the call.
He is the vice-captain of the national side and is a good player of spin, which will be critical in Indian conditions. At Johannesburg, in the second T20I, Warner came out to bat at 28 for 2 in the sixth over; Australia were soon reduced to 34 for 3. They were chasing 205, and Warner combined with Maxwell to produce Australia’s highest-ever T20I partnership, steering the side to a dramatic 5-wicket win over hosts South Africa. They added 161 from 79 balls. Warner was named Man of the Match for his 40-ball 77. ALSO READ: David Warner’s new role of middle-order batsmen can do wonders for visitors
“It’s a great role for me to play and it was my role to try and take him on today, he bowled a couple of wrong ones and I managed to get under them. Then he bowled back-of-a-length to us both which was quite hard to hit so we had to decide where we would score and that was to target straight,” Warner said after the match, after being particularly severe on leg-spinner Imran Tahir.
Warner had only opened in T20Is prior to this tour and though he may still prefer that position but for team’s sake, he is ready to relish the new challenge. In the past, we have seen cricketers moan when they have been made to shift from their comfort zones but Warner is not that kind.
Elaborating the decision that went behind his new role, he added, “Talking to Steve and Boof, and what the selectors felt, the key component was to have those three at the top with me and Steve in the middle. I am comfortable with that if that’s what Steve wants.”
Ahead of the World T20, Australia are now looking a settled unit. Warner, who leads Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL, is familiar to Indian conditions. With Warner being a good player of spin, the Australian middle-order looks sorted for now. With two of three among Watson, Finch and Khawaja opening the innings and Smith, Warner, Maxwell and Mitchell Marsh in the middle, Australia’s batting will be a serious threat to opponents.
(Suvajit Mustafi consumes cricket for lunch, fiction for dinner and munches numerous other snacks throughout the day. Yes, jack of several trades, all Suvajit dreamt of was being India’s World Cup winning skipper but ended up being a sports writer, author, screenwriter, director, copywriter, graphic designer, sports marketer , strategist, entrepreneur, philosopher and traveller. Donning so many hats, it’s cricket which gives him the ultimate high and where he finds solace. He can be followed at @RibsGully and rivu7)