'I'd Go For A Traditional Opener' - Mr Cricket On Life After David Warner's Retirement
David Warner is playing in his farewell Test series (AP Photo)
Michael Hussey was adamant Australia need to opt for a traditional replacement rather than considering a make-shift arrangement when veteran opener David Warner calls it quits at the end of the Pakistan Test series.
The former middle-order giant said if he were to pick the next man at the job for the first Test versus the West Indies later in the summer, he would consider someone who has been undergoing the grind against the new ball and scored heaps of runs in the Sheffield Shield.
Suggestions have been rife for Australia to ponder promoting one of their middle-order men up the order in case the emerging contenders don't quite satisfy the team management and the selectors on their long-term promise.
However, Hussey brushed aside this idea insisting an opener's task is one of a specialist as it is extremely hard to negotiate world-class Test match attacks early on in the middle. As life would have it, Hussey was the rightful man to speak of the issue as he started his career similarly as a make-shift opener in 2005 but later returned to his best-suited spot.
Hussey On Who Should Replace Warner
A late-bloomer, Hussey, made his Test debut aged 30 in replacement of the injured Justin Langer after dominating the first-class game for Western Australia and Northamptonshire as an opener. However, with Langer returning and Hussey making himself undroppable with strong performances, the latter was given a middle-order slot where he spend the rest of his successful career.
"Opening is one of the toughest jobs in the game," Hussey was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo. "So for me personally, if I was selecting, I'd be going for a traditional, proper opener. Someone who has done it for a long period of time. Because if you haven't done it much in your first-class career, it's going to be very difficult to come up the order."
The newest inductee in Australian Cricket's Hall of Fame said it wouldn't be wise to ask rising left-hand batter Travis Head or all-rounder Mitchell Marsh to open the innings since it could easily disrupt their productivity and not allow them to leave their truest impact on the team's fortunes.
"I'm not saying you can't do it, and maybe someone could evolve into doing that role. But I think it would be difficult for a player like Mitch Marsh or someone - I know there's been talk about him going up the order - I think he's probably more suited, much like Travis Head, to be in the middle-order. I think that'd be the best for the balance of the Australian team," he added.
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