New Zealand batting great Ross Taylor believes veteran batter David Warner has it in him to break his indifferent form and claim a spot in Australia’s playing eleven ahead of the World Test Championship Final in June.
Warner will now be captaining Delhi Capitals in the 2023 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and apart from striving to make the team win, he would be aiming to push for selection in the Australia side for the WTC Final against India at The Oval in England from June 7-11.
Warner averages only 26.04 in Tests in England. He made just 26 runs in three innings in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in India, before a concussion and hairline fracture of the elbow resulted in him being ruled out for the rest of the tour.
“Davey’s played a lot of cricket, over 100-odd Test matches. You give these guys a little bit more leeway than you would a youngster. He’s been playing cricket all over the world and has had success, and I am sure this Australia team would back him.”
“If he can score some runs and lead from the front for Delhi, I am sure that would give him a lot of confidence leading into the WTC Final and the Ashes as well,” Taylor was quoted as saying by the ICC.
With IPL 2023 ending on May 28, a host of Australian and Indian players will have very little time to turn their attention and prepare for the WTC final. “That week or so that both teams have before that Test match is going to be key.”
“Especially when you come from the T20 format into Test cricket, there is an adjustment. But players are quite used to making that adjustment quite quickly now,” added Taylor.
Post the WTC final, Australia will play the Ashes in England from June 16. The most recent Ashes series in England ended in a 2-2 draw in 2019, while Australia won the urn 4-0 at home in 2021/22.
“Australia will have an eye on the Ashes series. Their main objective would obviously be to win that (WTC Final) Test match, but consciously or subconsciously they would have an eye on the Ashes,” concluded Taylor.
