In what promises to be a thrilling series, former Australian opener Matthew Hayden has voiced an important concern ahead of the highly anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy. According to Hayden, the Australian cricket team will sorely miss the dynamic and consistent David Warner later this year when they face off against India. Warner, who has dedicated years of service and brilliance to Australian cricket, recently announced his retirement from international cricket, leaving a significant void in the team.
Warner’s retirement marks the end of an era for Australia. Throughout his illustrious career, spanning 112 Tests, Warner accumulated 8786 runs at an impressive average nearing 45. His aggressive playing style and remarkable strike rate, consistently above 70, provided Australia with the robust starts needed to dominate their innings. Hayden emphasized the impact of Warner’s absence, stating, “For the first time, it doesn’t feel as secure. David Warner gave a great service to Australian cricket. He was extremely competitive, wonderfully dynamic. He really took that legacy that I’d created through the 2000s.”
As a left-handed opener himself, Hayden highlighted how Warner continued the aggressive top-order legacy, giving Australian cricket the momentum required in its early innings. Hayden added, “His strike rates in excess of 80 gave great momentum to the top order, which is otherwise quite conservative. So, I think he’s an enormous loss in terms of how do you replace that?” Warner’s significant contributions during his 21 Tests against India, where he scored 1218 runs with four centuries, further underscore the magnitude of his absence. Interestingly, all his centuries against India came on Australian soil, where he amassed 760 runs in 10 Tests.
During his recent visit for the Ceat Cricket Rating Awards in Mumbai, Hayden voiced another major concern – the idea of experimenting with Steve Smith as an opener. He reasoned against shifting Smith from the middle order to the top, citing protracted evidence and previous experiences. “The rationale that George Bailey [chief selector] gave was correct. He thought it was about choosing his best top six players, batsmen. Now, you can’t argue with that. Steve Smith averages 56.97 and has 32 Test match hundreds. But the role of an opening batsman compared to that of a middle-order batsman is very different,” Hayden elaborated.
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Referencing a failed attempt during an earlier series in New Zealand where Smith was tested as an opener, Hayden remarked, “It didn’t take long to discover that [it didn’t work]. 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.”
In other uplifting commentary, Hayden expressed his confidence in Pat Cummins, Australia’s current captain, predicting that he will be remembered as one of the greatest captains in Australian cricket history. “He’s a great leader,” Hayden mentioned. “He has a very special leadership style and ability. It’s very different from the former kind of captains of the Australian team that adopted a carrot-and-stick type approach.”
Hayden added that Cummins’ leadership style focuses more on individual preparation, bringing out the best in each player. “I followed this team very 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.”
Further, Hayden expressed his excitement over the extended format of the upcoming series against India. Drawing on the advantages and dynamics of a five-Test series, Hayden said, “It’s going to be an unbelievable series. Extending it to five Test matches makes it even more special. 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 and win. I love it. It’s going to be a great series.”
Australia and India have not contested in a five-Test series since 1991/92, and cricket fans are eagerly awaiting this epic showdown beginning in Perth on November 22. This will be followed by Tests in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney. India, having won the last two series in Australia, hold the coveted Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which Australia has not managed to reclaim since their home victory in the 2014/15 series. With heightened anticipation and high stakes, the series is poised to deliver cricketing drama at its finest.