England wish for flat decks helps Warner

Ben Stokes’ pre-Ashes declaration may help David Warner’s spluttering form.

Delhi Capital's David Warner reacts as he walks back to the pavilion Picture: Getty Images

England captain Ben Stokes has ordered five flat tracks from curators for the Ashes and promised to go fast and hard at Australia, but that will be good news for David Warner as he holds off competition for his place and ­suffers criticism for his form.

The Australian opener is in the twilight of his career, struggling for runs in Test matches and now finds himself struggling for fluency in the IPL, despite scoring three half centuries in his first four innings for Delhi.

Warner is scoring at a strike rate of just 116 as he battles to find the right tempo in a side that is losing wickets regularly and has lost its first four matches.

Delhi, coached by Ricky Ponting, was beaten on the final delivery of its last game against a Mumbai Indian side that featured Cameron Green, Tim David, Jason Behrendorff and Riley Meredith.

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Warner was dismissed for 51 from 47 balls, caught Meredith bowled Behrendorff, while Green and David guided Mumbai to ­victory with the bat.

The veteran opener was clearly struggling for fluency in his ­innings, punching his bat with frustration and swearing when he did bring up his 58th IPL half ­century.

The pressure of Delhi losing its first three games appeared to show as he uncharacteristically chastised teammates on a couple of occasions during the game.

The good news for Australia at least is that Warner is scoring runs ahead of the World Test Championship final and the Ashes. And, his strike rate will not be such an issue at the ODI World Cup in India later in the year.

Marcus Harris has the box seat to replace Warner in the Test side after he was named last week on the central contract list, but Matthew Renshaw also has his eyes on the prize after scores 112, 78 and 140 for Australia A against New Zealand A in the two four-day matches recently completed in New Zealand.

“It’s feeling like a really nice time in my career and I’m probably feeling the best I have in a long time with the red ball,” Renshaw said on 2GB radio.

“I’ve always loved the challenge of opening the batting. It’s where I started my career.

“Fortunately, careers can go in certain different paths, and for me that was an experience in the middle order with Queensland, which I think strengthened my game quite a bit and gave me that opportunity to bat in the middle order in recent times.

“But yeah, I think opening is always somewhere where I want to be. It’s normally the toughest conditions and it’s the most satisfying when you succeed.”

Renshaw played the first Test against India and was dropped for Travis Head in the second. However, he came into that game in the second innings as concussion sub for Warner when the opener was concussed. He was dismissed three times in just 16 balls, contributing four runs to the cause.

Warner had a nightmare in the 2019 Ashes, dismissed in seven of his 10 innings by Stuart Broad, who concentrated on bowling a scrambled seam delivery at the top of the left-hander’s off stump – a tactic that denied the Australian the width he normally profits from.

Meanwhile, England captain Stokes has confirmed the side would continue the ultra aggressive “Bazball” approach which has earned it such a change in fortunes over the past 12 months.

However, in ordering flat tracks the home side will also be making it easier for Australian batsmen who struggle against the seam in the UK.

“We have been very clear with the ground staff around England about what type of wickets we want and they have been very responsive to us, which is good,” Stokes said on Sky Sports. “We want fast, flat wickets. We want to go out there and score quickly.

“It brings their [Australia’s] guys in. If they have fast wickets to bowl on then they will be happy with that as well.”

The five Tests in the Ashes will be played at Edgbaston, Lord’s, Old Trafford, Headingley and The Oval.

Stokes said his side intended to play the same fast-paced scoring game in the series.

“There’s no point changing just because we are coming into an Ashes series,” he said.

“Every player knows the Ashes is where everything ramps up a bit – pressure, exposure, all kinds of stuff – but we will just keep sticking to what we do.”

Stokes also promised to chase a result and not bat for the draw in the Ashes.

“Hold me to it,” he said. “Every game I play this summer will be to produce a result.

“I’m not going to change anything just because it’s the Ashes. I’m not going to change for anything or any situation, because then I’m not being true to myself and what I have done over the last year.”