David Warner and Phil Hughes showed on Friday why they might be Australia’s best-choice openers for the Ashes series and beyond.
In their six Test partnerships to date, the diminutive pair have combined for three successive stands of 70 plus, including an emphatic 130-run feast against Sri Lanka at the SCG.
Ed Cowan once again found a way to miss out on a batter-friendly wicket in Sydney, casting further doubt over his longevity in the side.
Cowan was forced to watch from the stands as opening partner Warner and No.3 Hughes took full advantage of the conditions while barely breaking a sweat.
There’s no doubt Cowan and Warner have had their moments this summer, including successive stands of 132 and 95 in the first and second Tests against Sri Lanka.
But from 21 innings together, they have shared in just two century partnerships.
While Cowan is on the wrong side of 30, Warner and Hughes are two players of the future in their mid-20s who seem to complement each other well.
Hughes didn’t discuss moving from No.3 but agreed he and Warner are well suited.
“I know Davey very well on and off the field. He’s good to bat with. We rotate the strike and we get along really well when we’re out there,” said Hughes.
“I’ve batted with him a fair bit, when I was playing for NSW.
“He gets off strike, he scores at a very good rate, so it takes the pressure off you when you’re at the other end.
“To get a good partnership with Davey, I think that’s a big sign going forward as well.”
Hughes (87) and Warner (85) both fell agonisingly short of centuries on Friday but, in their 178 balls together at the crease, they looked very comfortable.
Cowan is certainly a patient player to have offsetting the enigmatic Warner, but sometimes he can get bogged down.
In Warner and Hughes’ partnership, it was Hughes who dominated the run-scoring.
Cowan scored a fine century in Brisbane against Sri Lanka and has two other 50s this summer, but he has often missed out with conditions in his favour and the feeling is he hasn’t yet nailed down his spot.
Cowan averages 32.66 at Test level, which isn’t much worse than Hughes who is batting at 36.
But Hughes, a natural opener, has returned from the wilderness a more settled and technically sound player, with the world still at his feet at 24 years of age.
“Batting out in the middle, I feel my defence is a lot better than it was 12 months ago and I’ve opened up areas of my game I didn’t have before,” said Hughes.
“I feel more comfortable in my game now going forward so it’s a good sign.”