"David Warner put bowlers on back foot" - Craig McMillan thrashes Australia for defensive approach against New Zealand

Former New Zealand batter Craig McMillan lashed out at the Pat Cummins-led side for their poor show with the bat in the ongoing first Test against New Zealand in Wellington. He believes that Australia’s batting lineup is completely different with no David Warner at the top.

The Aussies struggled to get going with the bat in the ongoing first Test against New Zealand. The visitors were put into bat first and they looked ultra defensive in their approach. Steve Smith (31) and Usman Khawaja (33) gave the team a decent start as they added 61 runs for the opening partnership.

But what surprised many was they took almost 65 overs to get that. After both the openers got out, the Aussies lost two quick wickets and were left tottering at 89/4. Cameron Green then held the fort for his team but he was in the shell early on as at one stage he was batting at five off 28 balls.

But as soon as Mitchell Marsh (40) arrived at the crease, things changed for Australia. The all-rounder batted aggressively and counter-attacked the Kiwi bowlers. He put New Zealand on the backfoot with his brutal innings and what his knock did was it allowed Cameron Green to get settle in.

Mitchell Marsh slammed 40 runs off 39 balls before Cameron Green hit a blistering century and brought Australia back into the game. The all-rounder played a lone warrior knock for his team and although he took some time early on, he made sure that he cashed on the time he took to settle in.

Craig McMillan, who was commentating during Day 1, was baffled by the way Australia batted. He pointed out how David Warner used to put the opposition on the backfoot even before the ball was being bowled. Talking about Australia’s survival mentality, he explained:

“Warner put bowlers on the back foot before they even bowled the ball. It is a different sort of line-up with no Warner at the top. I was surprised at how defensive Australia were, it was just a survival mentality.”

Ever since David Warner retired from Test cricket, Australia has struggled to get going at the top. Although Steve Smith has played decent knocks but the impact that the left-hander used to bring with him has been lacking.

“This has not been a runaway start by Australia standards” – Sky Sports commentator Scotty Stevenson

Sky Sports commentator Scotty Stevenson also opened up about Australia’s defensive approach with the bat on Day 1 of the ongoing Test against New Zealand. He pointed out how Australian aggression was missing as it wasn’t a runaway start by them. He added:

“You look at Australia and the aggression they usually bring. This has not been a runaway start by Australian standards, that’s for sure.”

At stumps on Day 1, the Aussies were 279/9 with Cameron Green unbeaten on 103. They would be hoping to go past 300 runs on the board and give bowlers something to fight with. The all-rounder will be vital for the visitors chances on the Day 2.