Life to get harder for Aussies without the Warner effect

The Test team is about to find out that it’s not just an aggressive opening batsman with an average of 44 they need to replace.

There is a story, probably apocryphal but nonetheless fit for purpose, that when an iceberg halted the flow of water over the Niagara Falls residents in the nearby towns could not sleep for the silence. Australian Test cricket woke up to a similar silence on Sunday and contemplated a similar vacuum in the side and in the noise levels around the side.

Greg Chappell compared David Warner recently to a mosquito buzzing about, Pat Cummins made numerous mentions to the “energy” David brought to endless boring hours in hotel rooms, at dinner, on planes and forever in each other’s company.

If you are in Warner world you are on a highway, under a flight path, in a party house where the windows are open, all the televisions are on and nobody is getting any peace.

It was never dull and never quiet. That energy Warner brought to cricket, that ruthless running between wickets, that restlessness at the crease, the constantly calculating mind, the search for an advantage, a weakness or a gap in the field, those long chases to the boundary deep into day five, and the desire to be the one who ran to meet the incoming bowler to courier his cap were all fired by a similar competitive and chaotic spirit.

David Warner leaving his home in Marourbra on Sunday after retiring from Test cricket over the weekend. Picture: NCA NewsWire

There’s no off switch. Warner’s mind is a lab rat, amped and scampering. Through mazes, on the wheel, down the slide, up the edge of the cage, one minute here and the next there.

He “just keeps showing up” Cummins said in Sydney about his cricket.

When time came for Warner to bat in the first innings at Sydney, the coaches sent Nathan Lyon to pad up figuring that the opener would prefer the nightwatchman take the last over of the day, but the NSW batter has always done his own stunts.

“Gazza ran off to put the pads on, and I said, ‘mate, I’m not having this embarrassing moment to end my career’. I’m not a believer sending in nightwatchmen as openers,’ he told Mel McLachlan on Channel 7.

“It’s our job, it’s what we get out of bed for. We love it. It is nerve-racking at times. Coming out here to play the way that I did, I knew I needed to have energy in my feet to play on that wicket. Small totals as well.”

In the second innings he batted with such aggression, Labuschagne got caught in his slipstream and scored at twice his average rate at the start of his innings.

“Marnus actually complimented me for the way that he played,” Warner said. “I think the way he came out, it was ­aggressive and was looking to score. Think he struck it at 90 today, which is phenomenal.”

David Warner heads to the Australian dressing room for the final time in Test cricket Picture: Getty Images

The team will miss Warner more than it thinks.

When Ricky Ponting left the Australian set-up the fall-off in energy at training sessions and on the field was confronting. He was the loud one, the competitive one, the one who wanted to make every drill a contest, the one who never went through the motions.

When Warner leaves there’ll be a similar dip. Travis Head and Usman Khawaja’s lack of natural athleticism will be a little more exposed.

Labuschagne brings a similar noise and vibe to the game as Warner and will be chirping for two from here on in.

Mark Taylor, a former captain of Australia, says Warner’s shoes are hard to fill.

“It’s going to be hard to replace David, not just for the runs but the way he goes about those runs and scoring them quickly – that certainly is an advantage to Australia,” he told Wide World of Sports.

Warner is congratulated by teammates Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne after Australia won the third Test over Pakistan by eight wickets Picture: Getty Images

“The other thing I’ve been very big on for a long time is the person who does replace him needs to be a good fielder and a good catcher in particular.

“I’ve got Bancroft and Renshaw at the top of the list in terms of openers, and if you want to try something different, I would not be against seeing Cameron Green come into the side somewhere. That way, you bring in another batsman and he’s a very good fielder.

“If people learned anything from last week’s game at the MCG, you saw the importance of being able to hang onto your catches.”

Warner has taken 90 Test catches, primarily as the side’s first slipper, occasionally as the leg slip. He is also, as noted, an excellent ground fielder and one given the job of roaming the impact boundary at critical moments in white-ball games.

Andrew McDonald, one of those tasked with “replacing” Warner, admits he is in some senses irreplaceable.

“We’ve been lucky in having David Warner and sometimes people that play that way aren’t exactly replaceable,” he said.

“There’s not another David Warner out there. It was fantastic to see the way and the intent he played with (in the last innings in Sydney).

Ponting asked Warner about his legacy as a batter.

“I think it’s about being brave and bold and sticking to your game plan,” he said. “Through my career, I ebbed and flowed a little bit with being defensive and overthought about not being attacking enough and that’s probably where I had those lulls in my game.

“The way I played today (Saturday) and the way that I started, that’s what I want kids to do. If you’re an attacking player, go out there and still have that attacking mindset. Don’t worry about the defensive stuff, that will take care of itself. We’re in the entertainment business. It’s about entertaining.”

And Warner was always ­entertaining.