Why Warner-Finch duo could be Australia's best

Former Australian captain Mark Taylor says David Warner and Aaron Finch have the chance to be the greatest opening pair in the country's one day history.

Warner and Finch continued their prolific start to this summer, putting together 142 for the opening stand in the second ODI, after 156 in Friday's series opener.

The duo are now the eighth-most successful opening pair in ODI history in terms of runs, with 3638 runs in 70 innings together at an average of 52.72.

The century stand in the second ODI was Warner and Finch's 12th together, to go along with 14 half-centuries.

Sunday's partnership means that Warner and Finch are set to eclipse the second most prolific ODI opening pair, Adam Gilchrist and Mark Waugh, who tallied 3853 runs in 93 innings together between 1998 and 2002.

David Warner Aaron Finch

While Gilchrist's partnership with Matthew Hayden yielded 5372 runs, behind only India's legendary opening duo of Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar, Taylor believes Gilchrist and Waugh were Australia's best ever one day opening pair.

Taylor believes there are similarities between the iconic pair and Australia's current openers.

"They're certainly in the conversation as our greatest one day opening pair," he told Wide World of Sports.

"I've always thought looking at Australia's opening combinations that the best we've ever had is (Adam) Gilchrist and Mark Waugh. They were the two best that I've seen play together and I think Finch and Warner are certainly in that conversation.

"They're a different combination, but in a way there's some similarities as well. The left-right combination, Warner you could say is a similar player to Gilchrist in that he is explosive and hits good balls for four.

Mark Waugh and Adam Gilchrist

"I'm not sure you can compare Finch to Mark Waugh, I think Mark Waugh was the better player, but Finch in his own right is a fine outstanding one day opening batsman.

"What they do is a bit like Gilly and Mark Waugh. I think they encourage each other. Two days ago, Finch goes on to make a hundred and Warner had a hundred written all over him today, but unfortunately from his point of view a brilliant fielding effort ended his innings a lot shorter than he would have liked."

Taylor also believes Australia's current batting line-up in the 50-over format could be its best ever, that includes the golden generation in the 1990s and 2000s.

"It is certainly up there. I think of some of the best one day players that Australia have had, Ricky Ponting, Michael Hussey, Michael Bevan, would they fit into this side?" he asked.

Glenn Maxwell of Australia bats during game two.

"It would be hard to fit them in. Ponting would certainly bat at three or four, it would be hard to leave him out.

"Mark Waugh, where do you put him? Then the great finishers like Hussey and Bevan, do they replace Glenn Maxwell?

"The game is now different. The finishing role, which is the Hussey and Bevan role, have now been taken to a new level.

"The finishing role is now that of Ben Stokes, Maxwell or Hardik Pandya, you've got to score three runs every two balls, whereas it was always a run a ball. That's a new level now."

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