‘Nothing worse’: Ricky Ponting exposes David Warner’s bizarre act

Aussie legend Ricky Ponting has revealed David Warner’s bizarre new batting trick might work for him, but may hurt his teammates.

Aussie opener David Warner has raised eyebrows with his bizarre crease marking in the World Test Championship Final, with Ricky Ponting explaining the eye-catching scenes.

Usually it’s Steve Smith or Marnus Labuschagne’s antics which draw attention but this time it was the experienced opener, who Ponting revealed had dug “two quite deep holes” around the popping crease during his innings of 43 on day one.

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There’s been no secret of Warner’s recent run woes in Test cricket and Ponting explained the 36-year-old had come up with the plan in order to get his feet moving.

“We went out to have a look at the wicket this morning, and he worked overtime on his crease yesterday,” Ponting said on Channel 7’s coverage during the lunch break on day two.

“Normally when batters take guard, they’re taking middle stump, leg stump or off stump and you can see those lines heading back towards the other end.

“The interesting thing to me is the line that ran parallel to the stumps.

David Warner went to town on the crease. Photo: Channel 7

“Now having worked with Davey and analysed and watched his batting over the past couple of years, when he’s batted poorly, his back foot movement has gone outside leg. Therefore, when he’s going back and across, his weight is going back and away from the ball.

“So only two days ago he came up with this plan of digging two holes and making sure that when he moved his foot that his foot stayed within those two holes. If he moved back and across, he could feel his heel going into the hole. If you move too far across to the off stump, then his toes go into the hole.

“So he’s found a way and a method after 100-odd Test matches to try and train himself again to get his footwork pattern right.”

But while it may have helped Warner as he looks to retain his place in Australia’s Test team until the New Year’s Test in January at the SCG, where he said he’d look to retire from the longest form of cricket, Ponting said it did have an unwanted side effect.

“What that did was create a problem for the other batters,” Ponting continued. “The other batters are coming out there now, taking their guard and standing in these big deep holes that David Warner has created.

“As a batter, there’s nothing worse. You take your stance, your weight’s all off, you’re all out of balance, there’s nothing worse.”

At least it worked for Warner. Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images

However, in commentary for the ICC, Ponting said: “That’s the sign of a modern player, someone that’s played over 100 Tests still trying to find a way to get better.”

It’s just what the doctor ordered for Warner, who was dismissed just before lunch on day one when he was strangled down the leg side and caught behind.

Although he would have preferred to go on to get a huge score, it was likely enough to secure his place in the Ashes side at least at the start of the series.

Heading into the World Test Championship Final, Warner knew his retirement plan wasn’t a certainty.

In his past 32 innings dating back to January 2021 before this match, Warner had hit 914 runs at an average of 29.4, although minus his Boxing Day 200 last year, it drops to 23.8, featuring just four half centuries in that time.

And Warner will be hoping to reverse his disastrous last tour of England in 2019 where he scored 95 runs at an average of 9.5 and was dismissed seven times by Stuart Broad.

It’s a good sign for the Aussie champion that he’s still looking to improve, but hopefully he can do it without sabotaging his teammates.