Former Australian opener Matthew Hayden expressed his concerns about the unavailability of David Warner for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The seasoned campaigner announced his retirement from international cricket after the recent T20 World Cup 2024.

As a result of his retirement, the 37-year-old would miss the rest of the season in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 cycle. With over 8000 runs in the longest format, Warner had been a household name in the Test setup, providing some explosive starts in a rather defensive format. 

The Australian legend has expressed his concerns about the unavailability of Warner for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. 

What did Matthew Hayden say about David Warner’s absence from Border Gavaskar Trophy?

Hayden revealed his insecurities about Australia facing India for the four-match Test series at home, later this year. The ongoing WTC will have the defending champions and runners-up, Australia and India, lock horns to mark the end of the calendar year. 

The ex-cricketer called Warner extremely competitive and wonderfully dynamic, as the veteran bowed out of international cricket. He also called the 37-year-old as the heir to his legacy.

For the first time, it doesn’t feel as secure. David Warner gave a great service to Australian cricket. He was extremely competitive, wonderfully dynamic. He really took that legacy that I’d created through the 2000s, Hayden expressed in a chat with Cricbuzz.

His strike rates in excess of 80 (70.19) gave great momentum to the top order which, otherwise, is quite conservative. So I think he’s an enormous loss in terms of how do you replace them, the 52-year-old concluded.

Should Steve Smith replace David Warner as an opener in Tests?

Hayden talked about the replacement options for the outgoing 37-year-old. He has been against the idea of playing Steven Smith as an opener in Tests. Moreover, the experiment of replacing Warner with Smith against New Zealand did not go well either. 

The former batter spoke about the distinct roles of an opening batter and a middle-order batter. A world-class batter in a certain position (Steve Smith) would not work in any different position (opener), as per Hayden.

Now, you can’t argue with that. Steve Smith averages 65 (56.97 and has 30 (32) Test match hundreds. You know the role of an opening batsman compared to a middle order batsman is very different, Hayden explained.

It didn’t take long to discover that [in New Zealand earlier in the year when Smith as an opener was not exactly a success]. I said at the time that I didn’t like the change. I think it’s crazy to think that you have the world’s best-in-class batter in a certain position. And then you change to a completely different position, the former cricketer concluded.

MORE: Full list of awardees at CEAT Cricket Awards 2024

What is David Warner’s Test record for Australia?

Schedule for India vs Australia Test series