IPL 2019 | Warner-Bairstow pairing like Ronaldo-Rooney combo at Manchester United, opines Eoin Morgan

Sunrisers Hyderabad currently top the IPL rankings table having picked up six points from a possible nine as they lost their season opener against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens. A major reason behind their current three-match winning streak is the success of the opening batting pair of Australia’s David Warner and England’s Jonny Bairstow.

The Warner - Bairstow combo has torn apart the bowling line-up of KKR, Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Capitals so far this season. England’s ODI skipper and former Sunrisers Hyderabad cricketer Eoin Morgan has compared the British-Australian pair to footballing legends - Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo.

“The two of them are team-mates for the moment but that is the beauty of playing franchise cricket. You do get to rub shoulders with guys you never thought you’d play with.

“Thinking about it since in different sports, in football it happens all the time. Compare Portugal’s game where Ronaldo got Wayne Rooney sent off [at 2006 World Cup], and had to go back and play for Manchester United two weeks later. It’s trickier circumstances, but I’m sure Jonny is learning a huge amount from other guys that he’s rubbing shoulders with,” the left-handed batsman said in an interview to ESPNcricinfo.

Warner and Bairstow have put up four consecutive fifty-plus opening partnerships this year. The pair were at the peak of their form when they decided to rip apart the RCB bowling attack as they both scored a ton to take their side to a total of 231 in 20 overs.

There are a total of 11 England World Cup probables plying their trade in the IPL this season. Apart from Bairstow, Sam Curran is another England cricketer that has been thrust in the limelight after he took a match-winning hat-trick for Kings XI Punjab against Delhi Capitals. 

“In the last three or four years it’s been a huge step forward for us. We’ve not only had a lot of guys in demand for IPL teams, we’ve had guys go out and be contenders for MVP of the tournament, and that says a huge amount about the cricketers we are producing and the guys going out there with aspirations. It really does raise the standard of our own game within the international team.

“Playing the first game and then getting dropped for the second was a huge test for him as a character. And having to come back in and perform, clearly Sam was up to it, and was in the right head space. The IPL is a great opportunity, not only for him, but for other guys who’ve spent some time out there to gain experience,” the 32-year-old added.