Dave fires a Warner shot in ODI captaincy bid
Columnist By David Lord, 14 Feb 2012 David Lord is a Roar Expert
- Tagged:
- Australian Cricket, Cricket, David Warner, Michael Clarke, Ricky Ponting
Australia's David Warner hits a shot on his way to scoring 164. AAP Image/Paul Miller
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Why is there any conjecture over David Warner’s credentials to captain the Australian ODI side in Michael Clarke’s absence?
Clarke has a hamstring injury that will keep him out of the Sri Lanka game at the SCG on Friday, and with Shane Watson still on the injured list, Warner is the current vice-captain.
Automatic promotion.
Warner has proved his standing as captain of the Chairman’s X1 against India in Canberra, and the Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash League . And he was tactically on the ball with flair.
He should have captained the Australian Twenty20 side in the two games against India.
But the nay-sayers are in full flight.
A return to Ricky Ponting, or either of the Hussey brothers – Mike and David – are high on their agenda.
Recalling Ponting would be a negative move ignoring the future. He skippered the side from 2003 to 2011 with outstanding success, but he was the one who pulled the coat on the captaincy, and that’s where it should sit.
Mike Hussey is still a class act, still in form, and owns a sharp cricket brain. But he’s an even more reluctant captain than Allan Border was when he first took over from Kim Hughes.
Hussey led the Australians into the three-game ODI series in New Zealand in February 2007 when selectors rested Ponting and Adam Gilchrist, Michael Clarke had a hip injury, and Brett Lee an ankle problem.
Destiny wasn’t kind. Hussey became the first Australian captain to lose the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy. Worse still, in a whitewash.
“It was a demoralising experience,” ventured Hussey.
The Kiwis won the first ODI by 10 wickets in Wellington, the second by 5 wickets in Auckland, and completed the rout by 1 wicket in the third at Hamilton with three deliveries to spare.
Hussey copped the backlash of the New Zealander’s anger at Ponting and Gilchrist being “rested,” the first rotation exercise that blew up in the selector’s face?
For the record, Hussey’s team on that tour was Matt Hayden, Phil Jaques, Shane Watson, Brad Haddin, Brad Hodge, Adam Voges, Cameron White, Brad Hogg, Nathan Bracken, Shaun Tait, Mitchell Johnson, and Glenn McGrath.
As for David Hussey’s credentials to lead the side, he has the same sharp cricket brain as his older brother. But if the selector’s had him in mind, with his 42 ODIs against Warner’s 13, Hussey would be vice-captain now on the experience factor.
But he’s not, and that leaves David Warner exactly where he should be: ready to take the reins come Friday, and again on Sunday at the Gabba if Michael Clarke needs more time to recover.
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The Crowd Says (22) | Page 1 of Comments
Have Your Say
- Explore:
- Australian Cricket, Cricket, David Warner, Michael Clarke, Ricky Ponting
February 14th 2012 @ 8:20am
Chris said | February 14th 2012 @ 8:20am | Report comment
Why is there conjecture? That’s easy – because he’s still inexperienced and trying to lock down his position in the team. His batting has not exactly set the world on fire so far this season, and in that last game, looked rather flat.
I (for one) think Warner would be better left to work on his own game before being handed the captaincy. My take on it is that he is struggling a bit with how to play the 50 over game. His natural tendency is to go hell for leather if he’s got the coloured clothing on, but the rational part of his brain is telling him to take it down a notch when he’s got 50 overs to play with rather than 20.
Clarke seems to think he’ll only miss one game, so I have no problem putting one of the Husseys in charge as an interim measure.
Assuming Warner can cement his place in the team, I have no doubt he has the ability to be a very capable captain one day. But please don’t over burden him just yet.
February 14th 2012 @ 9:06am
Chaos said | February 14th 2012 @ 9:06am | Report comment
+1
Also what has Warner captained before? Has he done it at least at club level before?
February 14th 2012 @ 11:00am
jameswm said | February 14th 2012 @ 11:00am | Report comment
I agree Chris, but Warner’s the vice captain. If you don’t want to over-burden him, why make him the vice captain?
February 14th 2012 @ 8:49am
Brett McKay said | February 14th 2012 @ 8:49am | Report comment
I don’t think conjecture’s a bad thing, David, it means there’s decent options. Perhaps we should be more worried if there was no conjecture and Warner was the only option. That said, I echo Chris’s thoughts above, Warner hasn’t quite been himself on the ODIs so far, and I wouldn’t mind betting that had Clarke not gone down, that Warner might’ve been in line for a rest in the next week or so. Maybe the captaincy might bring a bit of resolve back to his game? Maybe he should get a go with the (c), just to see how he handles things in the spotlight.
One question though, as I’ve seen you run with this line a few times now. Can you really adequately prove your international captaincy standing with one three-day tour match (that became less like a match and more like a centre-wicket net as it went on) and one domestic T20 game? I know you’ve got to start somewhere, but is this really enough??
Either way, whoever they name, Warner, Ponting, Hussey, Hussey, Haddin, they’re all decent cricketers and would do a decent job for one or two matches. Options are good..
February 14th 2012 @ 9:16am
Red Kev said | February 14th 2012 @ 9:16am | Report comment
I am going to make the call that George Bailey will be parachuted into the side and given the captaincy again.
Not because I think it’s a smart move, but because these selectors seem to be all over shop in their thinking, I have no faith in fair or rational calls being made so I am instead predicting a left-field one.
February 14th 2012 @ 9:24am
Brett McKay said | February 14th 2012 @ 9:24am | Report comment
Kev, even if that plays out though, and I’m not sure it will, it’s still a decent option. And Bailey, funnily enough, has been in decent nick with the bat in the last fortnight, too. It would certainly be left field, no doubt, but it’s hardly an outrageous idea..
February 14th 2012 @ 9:27am
Matt F said | February 14th 2012 @ 9:27am | Report comment
I think it could be the excuse needed to bring Haddin back in, given he is the vice captain whenever Watson isn’t playing…..
February 14th 2012 @ 9:52am
LT said | February 14th 2012 @ 9:52am | Report comment
Me too re no faith.
February 14th 2012 @ 10:07am
David Lord said | February 14th 2012 @ 10:07am | Report comment
Brett, you’ve been around a long time, and must have had gut feelings about certain sportsmen and women. My gut feeling is David Warner will thrive on the extra responsibility as captain, which will greatly benefit his batting.
February 14th 2012 @ 10:16am
Brett McKay said | February 14th 2012 @ 10:16am | Report comment
I do agree David, and I liked what I saw from Warner at close-ish quarters during that Chairman’s game in Canberra. But as I said, it faded away as a contest fairly early in the piece when it became clear India were using it as a net session (at one point, for eg, Ishant Sharma – who wasn’t named in the initial XIII for the game – took the field, bowled four overs, and then walked off), and so you really couldn’t take much away from that game.
Certainly, in the one BBL game he played, he looked well in control, definitely a lead from the front captain.
I’ve no doubt he’d do well if given the chance on Friday, but I do wonder if we might be asking a bit much of him just for the moment. I don’t think a Ponting or M.Hussey-led team for a weekend would go backwards..
February 14th 2012 @ 9:06am
TomC said | February 14th 2012 @ 9:06am | Report comment
What’s his ODI average? 20 or something isn’t it? That should probably count against him.
February 14th 2012 @ 9:34am
Matt F said | February 14th 2012 @ 9:34am | Report comment
It’s very easy to see why there are doubts about Warner being ODI captain. For starters he wasn’t even in the ODI team until South Africa and his career ODI average is around 20 so he hasn’t even cemented a permanent spot in the XI. Warner currently looks like he needs a rest more then he needs the captaincy.How can you make him captain when he hasn’t even proven that he can play at ODI level yet?
Also did I miss something when the first squad was named? Warner wasn’t named vice captain of the ODI team. They didn’t actually name one. Not sure where you got that from?
February 14th 2012 @ 10:02am
Brett McKay said | February 14th 2012 @ 10:02am | Report comment
Matt, I believe Warner has been listed as VC on the team sheets this series, in lieu of formal appointment…
February 14th 2012 @ 10:49am
Matt F said | February 14th 2012 @ 10:49am | Report comment
Fair enough then. I was basing it on the squad announcement. Any idea why they wouldn’t name one at the time? It did seem strange to me that they didn’t announce one at the time. I get that Watson is the official vice-captain but the squad was only for 3 games
In that case you would imagine that they would name him as stand in captain then. Though it still seems strange that they’d make him even vice captain when he hasn’t even had an extended run in the ODI team, let alone cemented a permanent spot. Then again I suppose that naming Bailey as T20 captain shows that they’re thinking a little bit outside the box
February 14th 2012 @ 10:58am
Brett McKay said | February 14th 2012 @ 10:58am | Report comment
I can only imagine that it had something to do with the VC post being a bit of a revolving door of late, Watson is it, officially, but Haddin’s had it this summer too, and with more rotation to occur through the Comm Bank Series, perhaps they just didn’t bother naming one knowing he would likely miss games here and there…
February 14th 2012 @ 10:02am
Samuel Candido said | February 14th 2012 @ 10:02am | Report comment
Yep, for a guy averaging 20 there should be doubts, though I won’t be upset if he is captain.
February 14th 2012 @ 10:03am
David Lord said | February 14th 2012 @ 10:03am | Report comment
Matt F, from Michael Clarke at the aiport after the Adelaide loss to India – “David Warner is our vice-captain”.
February 14th 2012 @ 12:41pm
Red Kev said | February 14th 2012 @ 12:41pm | Report comment
Well looks like it’s Punter according to the CA website:
Michael Clarke (Captain)
Ricky Ponting (Captain for Friday’s ODI vs Sri Lanka)
David Warner (vc)
Dan Christian
Peter Forrest
Ben Hilfenhaus
David Hussey
Michael Hussey
Brett Lee
Mitchell Marsh
Clint McKay
Mitchell Starc
Matthew Wade
No Haddin (and no comment about him on the CA site story). Harris rested (showing signs of fatigue and carrying minor niggles). Lee expected to be fit for Friday’s match. And Inverarity made a comment about wanting Watson to play for NSW against WA this week to prove his fitness (I guess they are sweating pretty hard on Mr subject to fitness being able to get some cricket before the WI tour).
February 14th 2012 @ 1:09pm
Chris said | February 14th 2012 @ 1:09pm | Report comment
Excellent – the most out out of form batsman has just been handed the captaincy instead of being dropped.
February 14th 2012 @ 1:30pm
Red Kev said | February 14th 2012 @ 1:30pm | Report comment
Comment moved to other thread: http://www.theroar.com.au/2012/02/14/ponting-to-lead-australia-vs-sri-lanka-at-scg/
February 14th 2012 @ 4:30pm
Antonio said | February 14th 2012 @ 4:30pm | Report comment
I like Dave Warner he is an entertaining batsman. What I don’t like is how every time he goes to bat the channel 9 commentators go on and on and on about how he’s about to exploded and every single bat he’s faces its ‘here’s comes another boundary’. Not to mention the amount of times his reverse shot is mention and replayed.
February 14th 2012 @ 8:30pm
Lolly said | February 14th 2012 @ 8:30pm | Report comment
Use your mute button when he is batting. It’s the best solution as the Channel 9 team are such horrible fanbois.