David Warner is one of the best all-format batters that this generation has seen. The southpaw has done well across conditions against various opponents to establish a legendary status. It was in 2009 against South Africa in Hobart that Warner made his ODI debut. He did not have a great outing in that game but made up for it in future encounters. On that note, here, we take a look at two players you might not know played in opener David Warner’s debut ODI match in 2009.
1) Nathan Bracken
When it comes to ODI cricket, when Australia was dominating with the pace attack comprising the likes of Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee, Nathan Bracken was also doing a terrific job at the other end. He had the habit of stopping the momentum of the opposition with his timely wickets.
In 116 ODIs, the left-arm pacer collected 174 wickets at an economy of around 4.4. In Tests, though, he was not able to make a statement as he could play only five games. Bracken also played 19 T20Is for Australia. However, after he lost form, he found it hard to make a comeback. He retired in 2011 and recently, he was in news as he got himself involved in politics.
2) Ben Hilfenhaus
Ben Hilfenhaus is one of the players you might not know who played in opener David Warner’s debut ODI match in 2009. The right-arm pacer from Tasmania played in all formats of the game for Australia. However, it was in the T20s that he became popular, especially in various T20 leagues.
In 27 Tests, Ben collected 99 wickets while in 25 ODIs, he picked 29 scalps. He also played in 7 T20Is to add nine more wickets to his tally. Later, the cricketer also played in the IPL for teams such as the Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings. In Warner’s debut encounter, the pacer was the highest wicket-taker for Australia.
