England’s bunny: Dave Warner’s three years of failures
A bullish Dave Warner enters the clash against England on the back of three years of failures against the Old Enemy.
Dave Warner laughed off his pre-World Cup failures. Poured egg over the noggins of critics. Rode his luck to make a brisk half-century against Sri Lanka. But dare we present some numbers to be taken more seriously. Proof that Diamond Dave has been England’s bunny for three-and-a-half years now.
Australia plays Her Majesty’s finest at the T20 World Cup on Sunday morning. What a thing it is, Australia versus England, at anything. Five Ashes Tests are on the summer wind but before the real stuff begins, there’s this juicy little appetiser in the UAE. In Australia, it will worth burning the 1am (AEDT) oil for.
In London, where Her Majesty has been ordered to rest and skip work, surely she can see it ain’t so bad. Cricket’s on. All she needs for a return to rude health is a nice cup of tea and a Kayo subscription.
Last-over thriller is written all over it. A place in the semi-finals is up for grabs at Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Both teams are 2-0, sticking their chests out. Warner has an air of “I told youse so” after his 42-ball whirlwind of 65 in the seven-wicket thumping of Sri Lanka. And yet his record against England is like the Gladys Berejiklian/Daryl Maguire affair. The closer you look, the more uncomfortable it gets.
Fourteen single-figure scores in his last 20 innings against the opponent who matters most. Three half-centuries in three-and-a-half years: one in T20, one in an ODI, one in a Test. No tons against ye old enemy since the Boxing Day Test of 2017.
A 2019 Ashes Tour so famously bad he should have replaced Josh Hazlewood at No.11. Scores of 2, 8, 3, 5, 61, 0, 0, 0, 5 and 11 that left Stuart Broad laughing so hard he had to put his hands over his face. Not the sort of form book to be laughed off.
Warner was always going to come good at the World Cup. His woes against the English are more raw and real. They dangle carrots outside their bunny’s off stump and he cannot help nibbling. Every trap they set, he falls straight into it. He could have departed early against Sri Lanka, too, but his best strokes were initially his strokes of good fortune. He survived a running-between-the-wickets mix-up with Aaron Finch. Survived a leading edge from the bowling of Dushmantha Chameera that only just plopped over short cover. Survived an inside-edge off Lahiru Kumara that went perilously close to short fine leg. As if recognising his fortunes had changed, Warner then went bonkers, clubbing ten fours in a powerhouse innings that would have filled the Australians with confidence about the reminder of the tournament. When Warner makes T20 50s, they come in a hurry – and Australia normally rattles on to victory.
Before the Sri Lanka match, Warner blew out the 35 candles on his birthday cake and said: “I actually think people talking about my form is quite funny. I laugh at the matter. I’ve played hardly any cricket. I had two games in the IPL and then warm-up games are warm-up games for a reason.”
When he reverse-swept his third delivery from offspinner Maheesh Theekshana, he did indeed seem to be having a laugh. But he doesn’t think the shot is risky. The Powerplay means he’s hitting to areas so vacant he could drive the team bus through it. The bullish stroke reached the intended destination. Boundary rope. And he was on his way.
“I got criticised when I got out in a practice game playing the same shot,” Warner said. “We know which bowlers are bowling what, we know where the fields are and we know how to try and apply pressure. If it comes off, it comes off. When they‘re coming over the wicket, they’ve obviously got their carrom ball to come straight down the line. For me, it’s actually a low-risk shot to go with the spin. And because you’ve only got two fielders out to protect (the boundary), you’ve got to back yourself. It’s a shot that I favour. You’ve got to apply pressure. That’s how I start my innings against spin.”
After cackling at Warner since April, the cricketing gods confirmed in the fifth over they were smiling on him once more. A short ball from Chameera. A mistimed pull. A gloved catch to wicketkeeper Kusal Perera. Any old Irongloves could have taken it. The umpire was already raising his finger when Perera grassed it. Ex-Sri Lanka player Russel Arnold sighed, “How did you miss that, Kusal Perera?”
“Tonight I had to obviously start fresh,” Warner said. ”Everyone was talking about my form, which I reiterated was not a thing I was worried about. It was about going out there and starting well. That’s all we’re trying to do, apply pressure to the bowlers. It was great to get out there in the middle and spend some time there, running between the wickets, little things like that just keep your mind ticking. Obviously in the last six to 12 months we haven’t played that much cricket and so I haven’t been in those situations too often. It’s not so much about getting runs for myself, it’s about getting us off to a good start and we managed to do that. Shutting the critics down? No, never. That’s the world of sport. When you ride the highs, you’ve got to ride the lows and you’ve got to stay confident, keep a smile on your face and never let it get to you.”
Warner and the Australians have set the scene beautifully for the clash against England. Eoin Morgan’s men are the top-ranked T20 side. They’ve ripped through their opening two victories. Australia has emerged as the dark horse, an underperforming T20 squad off to a flyer and suddenly overflowing with momentum and confidence. Any cricket is good cricket, and it’s even better when it’s Australia versus England. Ashes battles began in 1882. They’re not even close to growing old.
Some snapshots. The 21-year-old Don Bradman’s unbeaten 309 in a day at Headingley. Jim Laker’s 19-for on a dusty Manchester pitch. The Ian Botham series in 1981. The Shane Warne delivery that gave Mike Gatting a headache and a thousand after-dinner speaking engagements. Steve Waugh’s last-ball century at the SCG. Andrew Flintoff’s consoling of Brett Lee at Edgbaston. That photo could have been the model for a Provan-Summons-style trophy if the Ashes didn’t already have a decent little urn as a memento. A T20 game in the UAE is unlikely to make history’s highlights reel. The honourable Ivo Bligh, England’s first Ashes captain, and The Don himself may be rolling in their graves about the shortened format. But it’s an Ashes year, Australia has never won the T20 World Cup and this is the biggest and best international sporting rivalry we have. Love watching them? No wonder. Australia captain Aaron Finch says: “Love playing them.”
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