Last Update on: January 3rd, 2021 at 12:41 pm
Whether or not Australia’s makeshift Test opener, Matthew Wade remains one in the third match, he expects David Warner to play in Sydney. Australia looks to be in dire need of David Warner’s tempo that he offers at the top of the order to solve their batting struggles in the ongoing Test series against India. And the veteran cricketer could likely play despite not being fully fit.
David Warner suffered a groin injury in the second ODI in Sydney against India that kept him out of the rest of the limited-overs matches. The southpaw’s absence has disrupted Australia’s balance at the top, especially in Tests. With the third Test in Sydney being a must-win match for the hosts, they have drafted Warner and Will Pucovski in the squad while dropping an out-of-form opener Joe Burns.
Matthew Wade underlined that they expect David Warner to participate in the third Test; however, the Tasmanian remains uncertain whether he will open the innings or Will Pucovski plays that role.
“We expect David to play, so it’ll either be me opening with him or they’ll make a change. I’m not sure it’ll be me and Will,” Wade said as quoted by The Age.
I saw it as an opportunity to show I was versatile to bat from one to seven: Matthew Wade
Matthew Wade hailed David Warner as a dangerous player at the top of the order and a rare player, averaging 50 and maintaining an excellent strike rate. The left-handed batsman, who has performed reasonably well in the Test series, highlighted that as much as Australia’s batsmen have been under pressure, Indians have experienced the same. Wade added that he saw the opportunity to open the innings to demonstrate his versatility and having batted at almost every spot, saw the chance positively.
“I’ll give myself a good chance. We all know what Davey does, he’s a dangerous player at the top of the order and they are hard to come by – guys that average 50 and strike at what Davey does. There’s been a lot of talk around the strike rate, but standing in the field India have been under pressure with our bowlers for a long period as well. That’s tough, hard Test cricket, it’s not easy to score. I saw it as an opportunity to show I was versatile to bat from one to seven, I’ve batted in pretty much every position in the Test line-up, so I saw it as a positive opportunity,” he added.
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