Despite having a wonderful outing in IPL 2019 as an opener, David Warner was assigned to bat at number 3 in a World Cup warm-up match against a New Zealand XI on Monday. While this decision of the Aussie team management raised quite a few eyebrows, former batsman and national selector Mark Waugh feels David Warner should open for Australia at the upcoming World Cup.

“I would definitely have him (Warner) opening. He is the number one opener in my opinion, so he has got to open with Finch. He is the most dangerous when the field is up and the field restrictions are in place and he can get the team off to a flyer,” Waugh said.

Warner has been in red hot form recently for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League, sitting pretty at the top of the run-getters' chart with 692 runs in 12 innings racking up eight half-centuries and one hundred in the process.

For Australia, the dashing southpaw who is making a return after serving a one-year ban has opened in all his 104 ODI innings.

But what puts Khawaja ahead is the fact that he is the highest run-getter in ODIs for Australia this year with 769 runs to his name.

Waugh, though, said he isn't sure if Khawaja should be an automatic choice for Australia's best XI, adding it should be a toss-up between Khawaja and Shaun Marsh for the number three spot.

“I think either Khawaja or Shaun Marsh bat at three and they should be fighting for that spot. The rest probably picks themselves...with (Steve) Smith at four, (Glenn) Maxwell (at) five, (Marcus) Stoinis (at) six and (Alex) Carey (at) seven,” said Waugh.