Which Aussie opener would you pick?

One is just a slogger, he has no technique, no patience and will never make it at test level, while the other one is Phil Hughes.

In 2009 Hughes was supposed to be the shining light and the first of a new exciting generation of Australian cricketers to come through. Angus Fraser was slaughtered for giving him the opportunity to come to England pre Ashes, and get his eye in while playing for Middlesex.

The English cricketing world was dismayed that Fraser should be doing the Aussies a favour like this, it was outrageous as a player of the talent of Hughes surely didn’t need any more help, he was already going to cane England as it was.

In  the end, what did the stint at Middlesex do for Hughes? Absolutely nothing in the short term as he was found out by the short ball, and he has never really recovered from this in my opinion.

The recent test series against New Zealand represented a new low for Hughes, it was so bad I even witnessed poms on Twitter saying they felt sorry for him. He was also derided in the Channel 9 commentary box, where he was basically a laughing stock from what I heard.

And this is the guy that the Aussie selectors dumped Simon Katich for.

The other half of the temporary opening partnership, David Warner, the man brought in to keep Shane Watson’s place warm, the man with no test pedigree, has taken his chance with both hands and must now be a certainty to keep his place ahead of Hughes when Watson returns.

Warner reminds me more of Steve Waugh, or Paul Collingwood, a man with grit, determination and plenty of backbone, a born fighter. While Hughes is looking more and more like Mark Ramprakash and the Ian Bell of 3 or 4 years back, with every passing test. He doesn’t look to posses the fight, or have the self belief or the hunger to be a test cricketer.

Another player in the Warner mould is Eoin Morgan, he doesn’t look a test natural either, but he looks to have that bit of steel and mental toughness needed at this level, unlike Ravi Bopara who apparently has all the shots.

Warner and Morgan might not be as talented as Hughes and Bopara, but like Geoff Miller said recently, it’s the complete package that you need to look for, it’s no good having all the shots if you haven’t the temperament to go with it.

Warner looked like a typical Aussie to me last weekend, unlike Hughes, who looked anything but.