A warning from Warner and Australia

 By K.R. Nayar

Dubai. During the post-match press conference, Australian opener David Warner was asked whether he has silenced his critics following his match-winning knock of 65 against Sri Lanka at the Dubai International Stadium on Thursday night. His reply was: “No, never. That's the world of sport. When you ride the highs you've got to ride the lows; you've got to stay confident, keep a smile on your face and never let it get to you.”

David Warner (right) with Steve Smith celebrate their win. Photo: ICC

This is a statement for every cricketer and every team too. Australia’s seven-wicket win over Sri Lanka was carved out of Warner’s knock of 65. Warner’s knock is a warning for all the other teams in this World Cup. Australia, who were not considered strong enough to win this T20 World Cup, is now being talked about as a strong favourite to lift the trophy.

In the recent Indian Premier League held in the UAE, Sunrisers Hyderabad team had hurt Warner by stripping him off their team’s captaincy and even dropping him from the team. Looks like this will benefit Australia in a big way. True that he benefitted from a dropped catch while on 18, but he dominated the Sri Lankan bowling otherwise. Luck is a part of cricket and how one exploits it to win matches for their country is vital.

David Warner during the post-match press conference. Photo: ICC

Time and again great cricketers have proved that form is temporary but class is permanent. The strokes that Warner displayed to get on top of the Sri Lankan bowling is an example. That was how he wiped away the threat from the Sri Lankan spinners. Every stroke he played took the match away from Sri Lankans.

There are some batsmen who have always played well against certain countries even if the bowlers are new. India’s Sunil Gavaskar always managed to score against the West Indies. Warner averages over 50 in T20 Internationals against Sri Lanka. In the 2019 Sri Lanka’s tour to Australia, he remained not out in all of the three T20 matches and had scores of 100, 60 and 57. He remained unbeaten to score a total of 217 runs against a stronger Sri Lankan bowling attack led by Lasith Malinga.

Warner has a strong belief in his abilities. During the post-match press conference, he even stated: “I think people who criticise me know exactly what I'm about. For us, it was really important to have a nice stable base.” What is important for Warner is to give his team a steady start as an opener. In fact, he emphatically stated that fact: “It's not so much about runs for myself, it's about getting us off to a good start, and we managed to do that.”

Fighters with determination are a treat to watch.  Warner turned 35 the day before the match. One cannot be sure how long fans will get to watch him play, but when he is in flow, he is a treat for the eyes. An in-form Warner is a warning for every bowler to never waver in length when bowling to him. He can just snatch the game away from his opponents like he did against Sri Lanka on Thursday.