How do you fix a ‘problem’ like David Warner?

The World Cup’s leading run scorer. Three man-of-the-match awards in six games and his team top of the ladder. Imagine what will happen once David Warner gets out of this rut he’s in …

• Match report: Warner fires Australia top
• Why Khawaja might want to avoid Maxi
• Finch ‘wanted someone else at No. 3’

David Warner couldn’t help but laugh.

The destructive opener had just pulverised Bangladesh with 166 (147) to rocket to the top of the World Cup runs leaderboard after celebrating his 16th ODI century, and second in eight days.

But it took just 30 seconds and two questions for Warner to get caught on the back foot at his press conference when asked about his subdued starts.

It was a fair question. The whole world wanted to know what had happened to the old David Warner’s trademark aggression.

Australia's David Warner is the leading run scorer at this World Cup, for the team sat at the summit of the ladder, all while being criticised for a perceived lack of form

Was it a conscious game plan to sell off a slice of strike-rate for some extra runs? Or had Warner’s 12-month suspension eroded the powerful edge that made him such a special player?

NO FEAR: Archer’s pace will play in to Australia’s hands

HUMBLE: Warner content just to play his part for the team

“Thanks — I was waiting for that,” Warner quipped.

“I don’t mean to go out there and bat slow. I’ve tried to get a calculation of how many fielders I’ve hit in the first 10 (overs).

“It gets a bit frustrating — you middle one and it goes full pace to the fielder and you can’t even get off strike.

WARNER'S WORLD CUP

Opponent	Score
Afghanistan	89* (114)
West Indies	3 (8)
India	56 (84)
Pakistan	107 (111)
Sri Lanka	26 (48)
Bangladesh	166 (147)

“That’s been a bit annoying, but I’ve just hung in there.”

HANGING TOUGH

Hung in there? Warner’s 166 (147) against Bangladesh was littered with fours and sixes as he lasted until the 45th over and started to flex his muscles more and more.

It backed up last week’s 107 (111) against Pakistan and, importantly, the pair of tons banked Australia a pair of wins.

Openers Aaron Finch Warner have been the power behind most of Australia’s victories.

Yet Warner’s powerplay strike-rate sits at 68, which is the third slowest of any player to score more than 50 runs up front, and his snail-like innings against India drew wild criticism as he chewed up 50 dot balls in a failed run chase.

“I got frustrated against India,” Warner said.

“I got frustrated against Afghanistan. And then (against Bangladesh), Finchy kept telling me to hang in there and bat deep and bat time.

“That was in like the eighth or ninth over. Because it’s generally not my game to stick around, I usually try and go after it a little bit. It must be a bit more maturity, I think.”

Midway through Warner’s innings against Bangladesh and he was taming the Tigers rather than torturing them.

Warner accumulated 77 runs off his first 96 balls (strike-rate of 80.2). He then battered 89 runs off his last 51 balls (174.5).

THE SEARCH FOR FLUENCY

The refreshed opener, with his third baby just two weeks away, cuts a relaxed figure in the Aussie camp.

He is a human ball of energy, often upbeat and wearing an infectious smile.

Was that chilled-out approach following him out to the crease?

“For me it’s all about having fluency in my game,” he said.

Against Bangladesh Warner found a quicker gear once he played himself in.

“I’ve hit a lot of fielders, which sort of got on my nerves a little bit.”

Fluency, or lack thereof, was Warner’s problem against Afghanistan.

After five disappointing knocks in the warm-up matches, Warner admitted he lacked rhythm in the World Cup opener.

His feet were still stuck in Twenty20 mode and barely moving.

Ricky Ponting reckons Warner barely middled a ball in Bristol, and yet Warner faced 114 of them in an unbeaten innings of 89.

Fancy posting an unbeaten World Cup century while out of form?

Warner said publicly he played a lazy shot on a used pitch against West Indies (three runs off eight deliveries) and said privately, to his teammates, that he batted with a timid mindset against India (56 off 84).

But the first chapter of Warner’s redemption story has already been stacked with runs and records.

In fact, at a batsman’s World Cup it is obvious Warner is capable of guiding Australia to glory.

THE NUMBERS GAME

More than halfway through the World Cup and he holds the highest score (166), the most runs (447), the equal-most centuries (two) and an average of 89.4.

Warner also owns four of Australia’s eight biggest ODI knocks and the country’s best two at World Cups.

He has been unspectacular yet largely immovable in the power-plays and found his dance moves when facing Bangladesh spinner Shakib Al Hasan on Thursday.

Warner never looked comfortable in his painfully slow innings against India.

Next up is the express pace of England’s Jofra Archer and Mark Wood, and they wouldn’t have liked what they saw of Warner against the Tigers.

Nor will they like what they are about to read.

“We’ve obviously got England coming up,” Warner said.

“They’ve got some bowlers who bowl over 150km. With pace on the ball on to the bat it makes a big difference.

“So it’s just all about having that fluency when you’re out there.”

Originally published as How do you fix a ‘problem’ like David Warner?