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Switch-hitting Australia batsman David Warner has received strong support from New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori, who says it’s the kind of shot that brings fans through the gates.
Whether left-hander Warner is allowed to face a few balls in normal fashion then suddenly turn around and adopt a right-hander’s stance mid-over is another thing.
Warner crunched 67 from 29 balls on Tuesday in Australia’s Twenty20 win over West Indies in Sydney, reaching his half-century from 18 balls, bettered only by India’s Yuvraj Singh who completed the feat in 12 deliveries against England in 2007.
Warner has made a habit of “switching” to a right-hander’s stance as the ball is being bowled, but is now keen to actually face up as a right-hander as the bowler comes in, drawing on his experience of having batted right-handed for two years as a junior player.
“I have no opposition at all (to switch-hitting) as long as the white-line and lbw rules apply,” Vettori said on the eve of New Zealand’s T20 clash with Australia at Wellington’s Westpac Stadium on Friday.
“If you take that game on, the balance should be addressed a little bit.
“It’s great for the game. People love watching it.
“It’s not something you want to be ruled out of the game because people love watching it.
“If you can switch-hit, it’s probably the next big thing in cricket.”
Warner’s new tactic of facing up right-handed, however, can cause delays with fields being changed. Umpire Rod Tucker refused to allow Warner to change to right-handed during his innings on Tuesday for this reason.
“Yeah I suppose that’s the only issue, time,” Vettori said.
“Bowlers will stop and they’ll have to change their field.”
Australia T20 skipper Clarke said he would definitely speak with the umpires to clarify the rules regarding Warner’s tactics.
“It’s very important that all the players and everybody in Twenty20 knows the exact format,” Clarke said.
“If he wanted to bat right-handed, Davey couldn’t just expect the bowler to run in and bowl.
“The opposition team had to have the chance to change the field. The umpire had a concern, is he going to do this ten times a game, 20 times a game?
“Is it going to take up a lot of time? He’ll keep practising it in the nets until we get exact clarification on what the rule is.”
Meanwhile Vettori says the Black Caps will have to lift dramatically if they hope to beat Australia.
“We know Australia are playing exceptionally good cricket and it’s going to be a real ask for us to try to compete with them and beat them,” Vettori said.
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