Former Australian opener Matthew Hayden said that the side will miss the services of David Warner in the upcoming Border Gavaskar Trophy against India. The Australian team will host Team India in a five-Test series from November 22 to January 7. However, Warner retired from Tests after the home series against Pakistan at the start of this year as well and he announced his retirement from international
cricket after the 2024 T20 World Cup as well. He is Australia’s fifth-highest run-scorer in Tests with 8,786 runs in 112 matches at an average of 44.59 with 26 centuries as well.
Speaking to reporters in Mumbai during the Ceat Cricket Rating Awards, Hayden said, “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. His strike rates in excess of 80 (70.19) 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.”
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“You know the role of an opening batsman compared to a middle order batsman is very different. It didn’t take long to discover that [in New Zealand earlier in the year when Smith as an opener was not exactly a success]. 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 again stated.
Following David Warner’s retirement, Australia have opened with Steve Smith in their Test lineup, a move Hayden doesn’t agree with. Smith also struggled at the top of the order, scoring only 171 runs in four Tests at an average of 28.50 with a lone half-century. However, Matthew Hayden feels the upcoming India-Australia Test series would be interesting and praised the move to have five games instead of four or three.
“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. 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 got a chance to win. You also get a chance to lose and then you get a chance to come back and win. I love it. It’s going to be a great series,” concluded Matthew Hayden
