Opinion: How the absence of David Warner and Steve Smith can benefit Australia in the long-run

It's more than obvious that the ban of David Warner and Steve Smith has left the Australian Cricket team in quite a tricky position. Which is quite evident in their recent performances against the series against England, Pakistan and Australia. But if we try to see the other side of the coin, there is some silver lining to this crisis.

The problem with the Australian team in recent years has been that their batting depends too much upon Warner and Smith especially in Tests. Other players in the team have performed in the patches but they haven't been consistent with their performances.

And even when they did get a good start they have failed to convert that start to make the most out of it. They haven't had a consistent opening partner for Warner and their middle order has lacked the depth and consistency. But now with these two gone, there is a real opportunity and responsibility for others to fill this void in the team.

And we can see some signs of that happening already. To begin with, Aaron Finch has just played two tests against Pakistan in UAE in this year and he has looked decent if not good and he can develop as a good test opener for his team for the future and everybody knows how effective he could be if he adapts himself with this format.

Also, his captaincy can be handy which was more evident in the second ODI of the home series against South Africa. Also, Usman Khwaja is starting to find his form now. He has scored two centuries and three half-centuries this year with an average of 47.08 this year.

Shaun Marsh has scored four centuries( 3 in ODIs and 1 in Tests) this year and can be an important part of their middle order. Marcus Stoinis is taking much more responsibility as a batsman and as a bowler as well. Tim Paine with his brilliant match saving inning against Pakistan in the 2nd Inning of the series in UAE has proved that he is accepting his role as a senior player of the team.

As Chris Lynn is getting more chances as an opener in ODIs, And we all know what he is capable of if he is in form. He can provide an extra option for the spot even after Warner's comeback in the team for the future. Wicketkeeper Alex Carey also looks promising. Then there are also Peter Handscomb and Matt Renshaw who have looked decent and given the opportunity they can be a useful asset to the team.

To summarize it all, we can say that as the main two pillars of Australian team has been removed from the team, all the weight is on rather inexperienced shoulders of the team who are not used to of the responsibilities.

Although it is quite obvious that the team has been affected badly, in the long run, it is preparing other members of the team for the responsibilities of future challenges.

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