As the cricketing world gears up for the highly anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy later this year, the Australian camp has been left pondering a significant void: the absence of David Warner. Cricketing luminary Matthew Hayden has voiced his concern regarding the impact of Warner’s retirement from international cricket on the team’s dynamics and performance.
Warner, who recently called time on his illustrious international career, has left an indelible mark on Australian cricket. The left-handed opener’s career spanned 112 Tests in which he amassed an impressive 8786 runs at an average just shy of 45. “For the first time, it doesn’t feel as secure,” Hayden remarked on Wednesday. “David Warner gave great service to Australian cricket. He was extremely competitive and wonderfully dynamic,” he added. Hayden believes Warner’s aggressive style and striking consistency provided a significant boost to the team, especially in terms of maintaining momentum at the top of the order.
Hayden elaborated on Warner’s significance: “He really took that legacy that I’d created through the 2000s. His strike rates in excess of 80 gave great momentum to the top order which, otherwise, is quite conservative. So I think he’s an enormous loss in terms of how do you replace them.”
Warner’s performance against India has also been noteworthy, if not entirely flattering. In 21 Tests against the subcontinental giants, he managed to score 1218 runs at an average of 31.23, including four centuries—all of which were scored on home soil in Australia, where he has accumulated 760 runs in 10 Tests.
While the focus is on Warner’s absence, the question of team composition has also loomed large. Hayden, attending the Ceat Cricket Rating Awards in Mumbai, expressed his reservations about playing Steve Smith as an opener. “The rationale that George Bailey [chief selector] gave was correct. He thought it was about choosing his best top six players, batsman. Now, you can’t argue with that,” Hayden explained. “Steve Smith averages 65 and has 32 Test match hundreds. You know the role of an opening batsman compared to a middle order batsman is very different,” he noted.
Hayden pointed out the experiment earlier in the year during the New Zealand series where Smith’s brief stint as an opener did not yield the expected results. “I said at the time that I didn’t like the change.
. I think it’s crazy to think that you have the world’s best-in-class batter in a certain position. And then you change to a completely different position,” Hayden commented.
Beyond Warner and Smith, Hayden also shared his thoughts on the leadership qualities of Pat Cummins. Describing Cummins as potentially one of Australia’s greatest captains, Hayden stated, “He’s a great of our game.” Cummins has already achieved notable success, leading Australia to victory in both the World Cup and the World Test Championship (WTC) as captain. “He has a very special leadership style and ability. It’s very different from the former kinds of captains of the Australian team that were very much a carrot and stick type approach,” Hayden opined.
Elaborating on Cummins’ leadership approach, Hayden said, “He’s operating on a model that’s bringing out the individuals’ preparation in particular, something in which I think our game struggles, being a team sport. Ultimately, it’s how you get the best out of an individual. He has a slightly off-centre approach. I followed this team closely over the last two years, and they’re an extremely close team. Pat is a great leader, and he will go down as one of our greats.”
Hayden also expressed enthusiasm for the length of the upcoming series against India. Advocating for a five-Test series, he mentioned, “It’s going to be an unbelievable series and actually not without great minds coming together. It is even more special by extending it to five Test matches.” According to Hayden, shorter series tend to lack the compelling ebb and flow that a five-Test series offers. “In three Test matches you always feel half pregnant; in four Test matches there’s always that swinging boat whereas in five Test matches, you’ve got a chance to win. You also get a chance to lose and then come back to win. I love it. It’s going to be a great series.”
Australia and India will kick off their long-awaited series in Perth on November 22, followed by Tests in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney. This series will mark the first five-Test duel between the two sides since 1991/92. With India having claimed victory in the last two series on Australian soil, the stage is set for a highly competitive clash as Australia seeks to reclaim the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which they have not held since the 2014/15 season.