Tag AUSinENG2012

With Australia and England gearing up for an explosive ODI series, Aussie coach Mickey Arthur is in a dilemma, but it’s not just him who is worried about the visitors’ opening batsman choice. Skipper Michael Clarke had spoken about the topic and so had David Warner.

Everyone knows how important the opening batsmen of the game are. They soak up a lot of pressure and have to start batting with a lot of things already batting around in their heads. Mickey Arthur is still trying to figure out an opening partner for wicket-keeper David Warner and is finding it hard to choose between Shane Watson and Matthew Wade. Aussie selectors are breaking their heads trying to strike the “perfect balance” for the start of the innings, Arthur said, as he spoke to a source.

“We'd like some consistency for our batters so they know where they're going to bat, but the batters know from my conversations with them that they know what's expected. They know what roles they're going to play,” he was quoted saying.

Although Shane Watson and Matthew Wade have both partnered Warner since the wicketkeeper's one-day international debut four months ago in Australia, the coach was not sure about his final decision, but was confident about having a flexible line-up as well as an array of solid top-order combinations.

Arthur also suggested that if Australian T20 captain George Bailey was better and could perform after his groin injury, his place in the team would be the decider as to who would open. In other words, if Bailey was fit, Wade would play top order and if not, Peter Forrest would come in and Wade would slide down to the middle order to play a finishing role.

Warner spoke about this and was quoted saying that he and Wade would need to concentrate on keeping their team’s score moving at all times and not just rely on boundaries.

“That is part of our game where we can get away or we can get bogged down a little bit. We are working on that a lot.”

Warner said he had to tone down his cavalier approach to the game in the seamer-friendly English conditions.

“It is about trying to pull it in early because it does a bit early here,” he said.

“I have to adjust it.”

The Aussies’ warm-up match against Essex happens on Tuesday.