David Warner will open in T20 World Cup: Aaron Finch
Star opener David Warner is set to open for Australia in the upcoming T20 World Cup. Australian skipper Aaron Finch confirmed the same on Wednesday. Notably, Warner hasn't played a T20I for Australia since September 2020. He was recently dropped from the Sunrisers Hyderabad Playing XI at the Indian Premier League after undergoing a lean patch. Here are further details.
Finch heaps praise on Warner
Finch spoke about Warner a day before departing to the UAE for the T20 World Cup. "Yep, absolutely. He's one of the best players to ever play the game for Australia. I've got no doubt that his preparation, while he would love to be playing for Hyderabad no doubt, I know that he's still training away. He'll be good to go," Finch said.
Warner scored just 195 runs in IPL 2021
Warner has endured a lean patch of late. He mustered only 195 runs from eight IPL games at a strike rate of 107.73. This was the first time sine 2013 that he failed to score in excess of 500 runs in a single IPL season. Warner was also sacked as the captain of SRH during the season. Kane Williamson had replaced him.
Warner hasn't toured with Australia in recent times
Warner has missed Australia's last 14 international games across four series due to a number of reasons. He didn't travel to West Indies and Bangladesh in order to rest for the second phase of the IPL and the T20 World Cup.
Australia's second-highest run-scorer in T20Is
Warner is one of the greatest openers Australia have produced. He will enter the T20 World Cup as the country's second-highest run-scorer in T20 Internationals. The left-handed batter has smashed 2,265 runs from 81 T20Is at an average of 31.45. He carries a strike-rate of 139.72 in the format. Warner's tally includes a ton and 18 half-centuries.
Australia's squad for T20 World Cup
Squad: Aaron Finch (captain), David Warner, Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Marsh, Matthew Wade, Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Kane Richardson, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Swepson, Josh Inglis. Traveling reserves: Dan Christian, Nathan Ellis, Daniel Sams
Australia have lost five consecutive T20I series
Australia have suffered a string of defeats in the shortest format lately. They became the top-ranked T20I side in May 2020 for the first time in history. Ever since, they have lost five consecutive T20I series. Australia won just six of 21 matches in this period. They missed the presence of Warner, Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, and Pat Cummins.
