‘Fearless’ Warner chasing grand slam of world titles with Australia at T20 cup

David Warner is striving for a big finish on his last lap as an international player, vowing Australia will play “fearless” cricket during the Twenty20 World Cup as they aim to create a unique piece history.

After claiming the World Test Championship and one-day World Cup titles in the past 12 months, Australia are aiming for cricket’s grand slam at the T20 World Cup, which has expanded to 20 teams. It will be played in the West Indies and the USA throughout June, with all of Australia’s matches being held in the Caribbean.

Along with Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Travis Head, Warner, 37, is one of just four players with a chance to be part of the first team to simultaneously hold the three International Cricket Council trophies.

“Being part of that potential history, you only sit back and reflect on those things when you’re completely done and dusted,” Warner, who is in Trinidad, told this masthead.

“I did an interview with the ICC recently asking me about it and all the tournaments I’ve been a part of, and I can’t remember them all, but it’s been great.”

Warner failed to complete this year’s Indian Premier League because of bone bruising in his left hand but proved his fitness with 54 from 21 balls in a practice match against Namibia in Trinidad last week. However, he will not field until Australia’s first match, against Oman in Barbados on Thursday (AEST).

David Warner batting during a Twenty20 match in New Zealand in February.Credit: Getty

His farewell from the big stage has been quite a journey. Australia beat India in India to win the ODI World Cup in November, he waved goodbye to the traditional game at the Sydney Test in January, and now he will – probably – farewell T20 internationals in the Caribbean.

But he continues to suggest it may not be the end, pointing to the ICC’s revived Champions Trophy, a mini World Cup, scheduled for Pakistan next year.

“They may not need me,” he added with a laugh.

Fearless

Whenever he does go, Warner is determined to go out all guns blazing.

“We’ve always played fearless and I think that’s why we’ve been so successful over the last few years,” he said. “We don’t care about our spot in a team, we just care about doing the best that we can, and making sure that whatever we’re doing, we’re trying to be that match winner.

“And the fortunate thing is that we’ve got so many of them. One might come off one day, the next day someone else will come off. So we just know that one person in that top six, if they can get anywhere between 60 to 80 runs at a good strike rate, we know we’re always going to post a good total.

“It’s the same with the new ball. If Starcy [Mitchell Starc] is swinging the ball, we’ll get early wickets, and that brings the spinners into the game.”

Mitchell Starc was player of the match in both his IPL finals, bowling Kolkata Knight Riders to the title.Credit: AP

Warner believes Australia’s imposing World Cup victory against India in India late last year, after a strong performance against South Africa in the semi-final, has given them an “upper edge” against other teams.

“If you look at the way that we performed with our backs up against the wall after the first couple of games [losing badly to India and South Africa], you just never count us out,” he said.

Forget the IPL

Scoring at this year’s IPL rocketed to new heights, with a record 1260 sixes and eight of the nine highest scores in the competition’s history taking place in the just-completed tournament. Warner believes the trend won’t be reflected at the T20 World Cup.

“No chance,” Warner says, pointing to IPL “impact players”, who can be subbed in during a match, adding an extra batsman or bowler as required.

“You’re playing eight or nine batters, and then you’re bowling seven, eight bowlers, and the wickets were extremely flat,” Warner said.

While the West Indies has small grounds, and trade winds can help carry the ball, Warner believes at least some of the wickets will be slow, low turners.

“It makes it harder to get under the ball [and lift it over the fence],” Warner says, suggesting that both Australia’s spinners – Adam Zampa and Ashton Agar – were likely to play regularly.

Experience

Warner praised the selectors for supporting the ageing players who have led Australia to their recent successes.

David Warner with Jake Fraser-McGurk.Credit: WhatsApp

“Credit to the selectors, who keep picking those guys that are experienced and they know how to win games,” said Warner, the only Australian to play 100 matches in all three formats at international level.

“I think that’s why, for us going into this tournament, winning that [one-day] World Cup gives us another string to our bow when it comes to confidence. The opposition’s looking at us and going, ‘These guys are the real deal when it comes to tournament play’.”

A polarising figure, particularly after Sandpapergate, questions have continually been asked about Warner’s position in the team as his form fluctuated.

The latest player discussed as a potential Warner replacement is Jake Fraser-McGurk, the talented 22-year-old thrasher who had a remarkable IPL campaign after being an injury replacement for Mitchell Marsh and then Warner at the Delhi Capitals, coached by Ricky Ponting.

However, Warner’s T20 performances have been consistently strong. He is one of just three Australians to score more than 3000 runs in T20 internationals along with Glenn Maxwell and Aaron Finch. Just 22 runs into this tournament, he will go past Finch as the leading Australian.

Warner was player of the tournament during Australia’s first and only Twenty20 World Cup title success, in the UAE three years ago. He’s hoping for a repeat.

When is it, where is it and who is playing?

Beginning on Sunday (AEST), the four-week T20 World Cup will be contested in the West Indies and USA by a record 20 nations, up from 16 teams in the 2022 event, which was hosted by Australia. Canada and Uganda have qualified for the first time, while the USA will make their T20 World Cup debut as a co-host. Despite being a Test nation, Zimbabwe missed out. Of the 55 matches, most will be played across six venues in the West Indies, while the USA will host 16 in three locations.

Bridgetown, Barbados, where Australia’s opening T20 World Cup match will be played against Oman on Thursday local time.

Why are Australia playing Oman (and why are there 55 matches?)

The teams have been divided into four groups of five teams in an expanded tournament, creating plenty of minnow v heavyweight matches. Australia play all their matches in the West Indies, with the first game against Oman. Each team plays the four others in their group, with the top two sides from each group making it to the Super Eight stage, where there will be two groups of four teams. The top two teams from these groups will progress to the semi-finals.

Is six-hitting out of control?

White-ball cricket was never designed for bowlers, but this year’s IPL took it to another level. Small grounds, flat pitches and, most significantly, the introduction of an impact player, essentially subbing in an extra batsman, has made big hitters even bolder. The T20 World Cup will also be played on small grounds, but not all the pitches will favour batters and there will be no impact player.

Australia’s first-round schedule (AEST)

• June 6: Oman, Kensington Oval, Barbados, 10.30am
• June 9: England, Kensington Oval, Barbados, 3am
• June 12: Namibia, Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua, 10.30am
• June 16: Scotland, Daren Sammy Cricket Ground, Saint Lucia, 10.30am

Can Australia win it?

Beating India in Ahmedabad to win the one-day World Cup late last year was one of the great performances in the country’s cricket history. And many of the players in this side combined to win Australia’s first and only T20 crown in the UAE during 2021. But a year later, the same group hit what Allan Border would euphemistically describe as a submerged log, missing the finals when Australia hosted the T20 World Cup in 2022.

Australia have the batting firepower and bowling quality to win it again, but T20 is the closest cricket gets to a game of chance.

How to watch

T20 World Cup will be available in Australia to stream only on Prime Video. There is no free-to-air broadcast, or coverage by satellite TV services.

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