2024 T20 World Cup: ‘Our best T20 player’: Why you can’t write off David Warner

David Warner’s tenacious innings against Oman was a timely reminder that it is very brave to write him off — not that the Australian opener seems to mind, writes BEN HORNE.

David Warner says he is at a loss to explain why he continues to be written off as a World Cup lynchpin.

The opening batsman might be not only Australia’s greatest ever white ball cricketer, but also its most underrated.

No matter how many times Warner delivers for Australia in World Cups, he continues to be written off before they begin by sections of critics and fans.

It happened again in the lead-up to this tournament, and yet, almost predictably, Warner opened up with a match-shaping 56 off 51 balls on a tough, slow wicket in Barbados against Oman.

Without this innings, who knows what pickle Australia might have found themselves in after Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh and Glenn Maxwell all departed cheaply.

Of course it’s way too early to be judging anything this tournament.

Australia was always going to wipe out associate nation Oman, and the bigger fish won’t be there to fry until the second half of the month.

Maybe Jake Fraser-McGurk’s contentious absence will be felt at some point.

But Warner’s tenacious innings against Oman was a timely reminder that it is very brave to dismiss his abilities and baffling how often it happens.

“It doesn’t fuel me. It’s in one ear and out the other,” Warner said.

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David Warner was great in the win against Oman. Picture: Getty Images

“I don’t understand why it’s always about myself. There’s 11 players in the team. I don’t understand it. I don’t get it.

“I just go out there and score runs.

“People think they have to keep criticising the way that I play. I don’t know what it is. Honestly, I have no answers as to why people are like that. I’ve had it my whole career.

“I don’t look at it. I don’t listen to it and when you’re all the way around the world you don’t need to see it.

“As long as I’m contributing to the team and I’m putting us in the best position possible, I’ll just keep trying my best.”

The flat tracks and explosive scoring of the recent Indian Premier League seemed like the start of a revolution when it was playing out last month, but Australian selectors always knew the Caribbean was going to toss up far more challenging conditions – conditions which demanded experience.

It’s not to say Fraser-McGurk’s thunder-hitting wouldn’t also work on these more challenging pitches, but Warner’s guile, experience and batsmanship on these tricky surfaces looms as critical, especially with no Steve Smith in the line-up.

Warner and Stoinis’ partnership got Australia back on track. Picture: AFP

Warner always knew these World Cup tracks would be completely different, and so it seems, did the selectors.

“I’m not shocked. I’ve played CPL (Caribbean Premier League) here in 2018. I’ve played a lot of cricket over here,” Warner said.

“They’re (slow wickets) all the same. The variation in bounce is the one that surprises you because naturally, when they pitch the ball on that eight-metre length, your natural instinct is to pull it.

“You have to go back to targeting straight, backing yourself and if it does bounce (unusually), so be it.”

Marcus Stoinis, who combined with Warner for the 100-run partnership that decided win over Oman – said it’s grossly underrated just how adept the veteran left-hander is at adapting his game under pressure.

“The thing with Davey, when he gets a wicket that is true and flat he knows what his job is, which is to go and take the game on,” Stoinis said.

“And when he doesn’t get those conditions (like on Thursday in Barbados), he’s mature enough to suck that up and to bat according to the situation the team needs.

“He got us to that position where we could start to target certain bowlers again.

“He’s our best T20 player.

“He was our best T20 player in the tournament we won (in 2021).

“He’ll be looking forward to making a big impact this tournament.”