New Delhi: Former Australian opener David Warner has suggested the player who should open the innings alongside Usman Khawaja in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India. Ever since Warner retired from international cricket earlier this year, Australia haven’t found a suitable replacement for the left-handed batter.
In the four Test matches Australia have played post Warner’s last hurrah, Steve Smith was promoted up the batting order, a decision volunteered by the former skipper himself. The right-handed batter scored 171 runs in eight innings at an average of 28.50 with the best score of 91 not out.
Smith is set to return to his designated position of No.4 after all-rounder Cameron Green was ruled out of the India Test series as the latter will undergo a lower spine surgery after a recurring stress fracture in lower back.
The opener’s slot has been a challenge for the selectors to fill in. There have been suggestions that Australian capped players Cameron Bancroft and Marcus Harris could replace Warner in the opener’s role in the BGT series. However, there are also the likes of New South Wales player Sam Konstas and South Australia’s Nathan McSweeney.
All four players recently featured in Australia A playing XI against India A in the first unofficial Test match in Mackay. McSweeney scored 127 runs, including an unbeaten 88 in the second innings to help his side win by eight wickets.
Though McSweeney bats at No.3 in the Sheffield Shield for South Australia, Warner backed the 25-year-old to slot in the opening position.
McSweeney’s a talent. They (Australian team management) can run the gauntlet with him opening the batting,” Warner said on Fox Cricket during his commentary stint for Australia vs Pakistan 1st ODI match.
“I know he bats No. 3 for South Australia, but I think there’s leadership qualities there as well,” he added.
Warner points out what’s wrong with Cameron Bancroft’s technique
Bancroft has played 10 Test matches for Australia between 2017 and 2019. His international career didn’t take the flight after his involvement in the ball-tampering saga in Cape Town in 2018, though he played in couple of matches in Ashes 2019 thereafter.
The Western Australian batter has scored over 10000 first-class runs (10573) at 38.87 with the help of 37 fifties and 29 centuries. However, the opener has recorded a flurry of low scores with 77 runs coming from his bat in the last 10 FC innings with three ducks suffered.
“There’s no air speed at the moment in Shield cricket, and you’re playing at venues that don’t bounce. With Cameron Bancroft, his foot’s still out to point. If someone was bowling 145km/h, he’s still going to make the same mistake,” Warner noted.
“In my eyes, it’s about his front foot being pointed out to point. When there’s faster air speed, when the bowlers are bowling faster, he’s going to get rolled through, LBW or he’ll get caught in the slips cordon. He had that trouble when he was playing for Australia,” he added.
The first Test between Australia and India will start on November 22 at the Perth Stadium.
