Why is David Warner not playing today’s 3rd T20I between Australia and England in Canberra?

Why is David Warner not playing today: Australia have made a solitary change to their Playing XI for the last match of the series.

During the third T20I of England’s tour of Australia 2022 in Canberra, Australia captain Aaron Finch has won the toss and chose to bowl for the third time in a row.

“We’ve got to get better at chasing. It’s been something that over the last little period we’ve stumbled a few times. We still think it’s the right call on this wicket. All the stats suggest that it is,” Finch told Fox Cricket at the toss.

Yet to win a toss on the tour, England captain Jos Buttler wanted to bowl first tonight after winning the first two matches batting first. Having already won their maiden T20I series in Australia, England would now be looking to register their maiden whitewash against the Aussies in this format.

“We’d have liked to have bowled purely because we batted first in the previous two [matches]. We want to try and raise the level of intensity again. We see this as an independent challenge,” Buttler told Fox Cricket at the toss.

Why is David Warner not playing today vs England?

A long surprising change for the hosts in the last match before they defend their T20 World Cup title later this month has come in the form of batter Steven Smith coming in for opening batter David Warner.

“Steve [Steven] Smith comes in for Davey [David Warner]. Myself and Glenn Maxwell will open today,” Finch said. Slightly injured in the second T20I at the same venue, the same might have played some role in Warner resting on Friday. That being said, it still is a precautionary measure.

Finch, 35, joined the likes of fast bowler Josh Hazlewood and batter Marnus Labuschagne with respect to backing all-rounder Maxwell amid a lean patch. Set to open the batting for the third time in this format, readers must note that Maxwell’s career-best 145* (68) had come at the same position in Sri Lanka six years ago. Maxwell’s 211 T20I runs as an opener have come at a strike rate of 224.46.

As far as the visitors are concerned, they have made a couple of rotational changes to their Playing XI by bringing in pacers Chris Woakes and Mark Wood for Sam Curran and Chris Jordan.

About the author

Dixit Bhargav

Born and brought up in Pathankot, Dixit Bhargav is an engineering and sports management graduate who works as a Cricket Editor at The SportsRush. Having written more than 10,000 articles across more than five years at TSR, his first cricketing memory dates back to 2002 when former India captain Sourav Ganguly had waved his jersey at the historic Lord’s balcony. What followed for an 8-year-old was an instant adulation for both Ganguly and the sport. The optimist in him is waiting for the day when Punjab Kings will win their maiden Indian Premier League title. When not watching cricket, he is mostly found in a cinema hall watching a Punjabi movie.

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