The Australian openers are a fearsome sight as they stride out in to the middle. There is a sense of anticipation in the crowd and quiet prayer on the lips of the opposition captain that his bowlers can somehow get it right to them in the opening overs.
David Warner
The pocket sized dynamo from New South Wales was always a fearsome hitter of the cricket ball but he was terribly inconsistent when he began his career. But in the recent times he has flowered and flourished and turned in to one of the most destructive batsmen across all formats. He recently cracked a double ton against the Kiwi’s in a test match which was followed by two tons he had hit in the same series in the previous test. He is in superb form against the Indians in the ODI series and has cracked a 90 and a ton already in the two matches that he has played.
He hits the ground running and makes hitting the ball look quiet effortless. When in mood it is almost an impossible task for the bowlers to stop him. He plays innovative shots like the switch hit and the switch cut with ease and this helps him unsettle the line and length of the bowler. He is also a superb cutter and puller of the ball and is quick on his feet when facing the spinners. He is a superb runner between the wickets and is a tiger in the field.
The best that the opposition can do is try opening the bowling with a spinner and hope that it comes off. There is no definitive weakness in his game at the moment otherwise!
Impact Rating – 8.5/10
Aaron Finch
The opening partner of Warner, Aaron Finch is from Victoria and has a T20 strike rate of over 150! He is a right handed batsmen and compliments Warner perfectly. He generally tends to start slowly but catches up when he gets his eye in. Finch caught the eye of the Aussie selectors with his big hitting during the Big Bash League and he has not looked back.
He hits the ball straight most of the times and that is his biggest strength. He has enough muscle to clear the field and he might also come in handy as a part time spinner on the slow Indian wickets.
He is most vulnerable in the opening few balls that he faces and just like Warner he might have issues facing up to spin early in the innings. That might be the best time for the opposition to put pressure on him and snare him early.
Impact Rating – 7/10
The impact of their blazing starts results in Australia being able to set huge totals for the opposition team to chase or making huge totals look ridiculously easy while chasing. Australia will be hoping that these two can lead the run charge for the Aussie team and provide them with a solid platform to launch from.
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