BIRMINGHAM: Former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting believes that struggling opener David Warner has shown hints of his best form during the ICC World Test Championship final against India and in the first innings of the Ashes Test against England and “he will make some runs”, reported ICC on Sunday.
The pressure is building on Warner and his place in the Test team is under scrutiny due to his recent form. He fell to Stuart Broad for just nine runs at Edgbaston, making it his 15th dismissal against the veteran English pacer.
Against Broad in Tests, Warner has scored 397 runs in 734 balls at a sub-par average of 26.46. He has been dismissed 15 times by the bowler.
The statistics only read worse in England’s seam and swing-friendly conditions. Broad has put Warner on a leash at home, with the latter scoring only 158 runs in 329 balls at a poor average of 17.55. He has dismissed Warner nine times in England.
In 15 Tests, so far, in England, Warner has scored 704 runs at an average of 25.14. He has scored seven fifties in 28 innings, with best score of 85.
In 2023, he has just scored 89 runs in five Tests across seven innings at an average of 12.71, with best score of 43. Last year, he scored 571 runs in 11 Tests at an average of over 30, with one century and two fifties in 20 innings and best score of 200*.
With these numbers, pressure will build on Warner in case he fails in the second innings as well. But Ponting feels that the first innings at Edgbaston and in WTC final suggest that he is close to getting back to scoring runs like he used to.
“I thought he looked really good in the first innings of the WTC Final; the 40-odd he made there, he played really well,” Ponting said on latest episode of The ICC Review.
“And even though he made nine in the first innings here, the way he actually started his innings was the best I have seen him start in two years of Test cricket. So it is still there. I think the fact that he was not able to score as freely as he would have wanted at the start of that innings played a part in him playing the shot that he did.”
“But there is no doubt the second innings is an important one for him – not just for his career’s sake, but it is going to be a big innings as far as this game and this series goes. If he starts the same way that he started in the first innings, then I think he will make some runs,” concluded the batting great.
Coming to the match, England currently has a lead over Australia in the test. Their second innings is in progress. At the end of rain-affected day three, they were at 28/2, with Joe Root and Ollie Pope at the crease.
In the first innings, Australia was bundled out for 386 and they trailed England by seven runs, who had scored 393 in their first innings after electing to bat.
Australia was once at 67/3 after David Warner (9), Marnus Labuschagne (0) and Steve Smith (16) were dismissed quickly. Then knocks from Khawaja (141), Alex Carey (66), Travis Head (50) and skipper Pat Cummins (38) carried the Aussies to a big score, though not big enough to secure a lead.
Ollie Robinson (3/55) and Stuart Broad (3/68) were the pick of the bowlers for England. Moeen Ali picked two scalps while skipper Ben Stokes and James Anderson got one each.
England declared their first innings at 393/8 after electing to bat first. A century from Root (118* in 152 balls, with seven fours and four sixes), fifties from Jonny Bairstow (78 in 78 balls, with 12 fours) and Zak Crawley (61 in 73 balls, with seven fours) powered England to a huge score.
Nathan Lyon (4/149) was the pick of the bowlers for the Aussies. Josh Hazlewood picked up two wickets while Scott Boland and Cameron Green got a wicket each. (ANI)
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