NEW DELHI: A faithful Australian drummer Usman Khawaja feels fellow flyhalf David Warner is currently in fine form as he prepares for the tough English summer, featuring the World Test Championship Final against India and the Ashes.
Despite a tough tour of India earlier this year, Warner, 36, captain of the Delhi Capitals in IPL 2023, showed an aggressive approach while racking up 516 points in 14 appearances in the cash-rich league. Nonetheless, he faces a formidable task in the swinging, searing English conditions.
Khawaja also said Warner appears to be in great shape and well prepared for the upcoming tournaments.
“I’ve seen him (Warner) beaten the last few days and I don’t want to jinx him, but he looks good,” Khawaja was quoted as saying by the ICC.
While Warner was part of the Australian team for the WTC Final and the first two Ashes Tests, selectors have also picked Marcus Harris and Matt Renshaw as options, but Khawaja thinks if the veteran cricketer is in the playing XI he will do his best.
“That’s probably the best I’ve seen him look in the net for a while. It doesn’t always match the runs, but if we have any chance of Davey Warner scoring runs it could be it. He’s still playing his best when his back is also against the wall,” added Khawaja.
Warner, apart from a magnificent double hundred against South Africa last December, has struggled for points in recent assignments, managing just 26 runs in three Test innings during the recent tour of India before heading home. injured him.
He had also endured a forgettable campaign in the last Ashes, coming back with an average of 9.50, the worst ever in a first game played in 10 innings with the fast England Broad dominating the 36-year-old.
“We saw when he scored a double century in his 100th game when everyone wrote him off and told him he was done and it was his last game and he went out and got 200. “You never write off a great player, so I expect runs,” Khawaja said.
Warner indicated he would likely stick to his task during testing rather than get involved in any pre-Ashes banter with England cricketers, particularly Broad who limited the Aussie to just 95 runs at an average of less than 10 during the last Ashes in England.
Despite a tough tour of India earlier this year, Warner, 36, captain of the Delhi Capitals in IPL 2023, showed an aggressive approach while racking up 516 points in 14 appearances in the cash-rich league. Nonetheless, he faces a formidable task in the swinging, searing English conditions.
Khawaja also said Warner appears to be in great shape and well prepared for the upcoming tournaments.
“I’ve seen him (Warner) beaten the last few days and I don’t want to jinx him, but he looks good,” Khawaja was quoted as saying by the ICC.
While Warner was part of the Australian team for the WTC Final and the first two Ashes Tests, selectors have also picked Marcus Harris and Matt Renshaw as options, but Khawaja thinks if the veteran cricketer is in the playing XI he will do his best.
“That’s probably the best I’ve seen him look in the net for a while. It doesn’t always match the runs, but if we have any chance of Davey Warner scoring runs it could be it. He’s still playing his best when his back is also against the wall,” added Khawaja.
Warner, apart from a magnificent double hundred against South Africa last December, has struggled for points in recent assignments, managing just 26 runs in three Test innings during the recent tour of India before heading home. injured him.
He had also endured a forgettable campaign in the last Ashes, coming back with an average of 9.50, the worst ever in a first game played in 10 innings with the fast England Broad dominating the 36-year-old.
“We saw when he scored a double century in his 100th game when everyone wrote him off and told him he was done and it was his last game and he went out and got 200. “You never write off a great player, so I expect runs,” Khawaja said.
Warner indicated he would likely stick to his task during testing rather than get involved in any pre-Ashes banter with England cricketers, particularly Broad who limited the Aussie to just 95 runs at an average of less than 10 during the last Ashes in England.
“He (the joke) is just selling papers and clickbait so I won’t get involved in any of that stuff. June.
“Today there is no real joking on the pitch. It’s just about playing quality cricket and trying to get the advantage over each other. It’s much more connected these days than before, which I think is great for the game.” he added.
(With PTI entries)
