Former Australia captain Steve Waugh feels that David Warner has been playing in ‘second gear’ and is yet to take ‘the ferrari for a spin’ in this ongoing World Cup.
Warner has so far hit two fifties and century but Waugh says the explosive opener is yet to reach his destructive best in this World Cup and the semifinals will be the right platform for him to ‘test the engine out’. “What’s daunting for teams yet to face Australia is the notion that Warner hasn’t yet taken the Ferrari for a spin on the freeway,” Waugh wrote in a column for the ICC.
“He has been idling away in second gear waiting for the right moment to put the foot down. Perhaps the semi-finals will be the occasion to test the engine out.”
Waugh also heaped praise on skipper Aaron Finch for leading from the front with a strokeful 153 against Sri Lanka. “To win a World Cup your captain needs to lead from the front, either by actions or in words. Right now Aaron Finch is excelling in both. He has remained calm and composed off the field in dealing with the media and has unquestionably been the premier batsman of the tournament so far while controlling the tempo of the matches nicely with his leadership,” Waugh wrote.
“His innings against Sri Lanka looked destined for a big number from ball one. Together with David Warner they are forging a dominant combination, complementing each other and setting a solid platform for the remainder of the order,” said Waugh who led Australia to a World Cup win in 1999.
Table-toppers Australia have won four matches out of the five games with their loss against India being the only blemish and Waugh was happy that the big match players are performing well for the team. “Encouragingly Australia’s big match players are all in good form with Steve Smith searching and closing in on the rhythm and unorthodox creativity that bamboozles opposing attacks,” he wrote.