Back in the runs, Warner 'laughs' off talk he was out of form
Under the microscope after a lean run, Warner was back to his best against Sri Lanka, making 65 off 42 to help give Australia a second win on the bounce in their Super 12 group in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
The opener had posted scores of 0, 2, 0, 1 and 14 heading into this match across various T20 levels but revealed after the game he thought talk of him being out of form was premature.
"I actually think people talking about my form is quite funny. I laugh at the matter," he said on Wednesday. "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.
"Tonight, I had to obviously start fresh. 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."
Match Highlights: Australia v Sri Lanka
Nevertheless, he said his innings against Sri Lanka was not about silencing the doubters.
“Shutting the critics down? No, never,” he said. “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.”
Warner enjoyed one key slice of luck in the match when he was dropped on 18 off a gloved pull that lobbed up to the keeper.
It was a life he made the most of, smashing 10 fours before eventually perishing in 15th over with Australia needing only another 25 runs to win in 30 deliveries.
Encouragingly for Australia, Warner was not the only man in the runs, with captain Aaron Finch producing his most fluid innings since returning from knee surgery. In an opening stand that brought Australia 70 runs by the seventh over, Finch smashed 37 off 23 deliveries.
Nissan POTD: Aaron Finch's charging drive
Warner enjoyed seeing his opening partner hit his straps.
“For us, it was really important to have a nice stable base, and seeing Finchy play straight down the ground and that nice back cut, that's nice and still. It means you're watching the ball. It means your weight is going through the ball.
“It's the same process with myself. You've got to have a nice stable base on these wickets.
“When people take pace off the ball, you've got to wait for the ball. When there's pace on it, then you can sit on it.
“That was the key tonight, and I think he was really stable. Hitting the ball back over the bowler is always a very good sign of a player who's in nice touch”
If the pair stay in the runs from here, Australia will be firmly among the frontrunners for the trophy.
They now sit second in their group, behind England only on net-run-rate. The two sides will meet this Saturday in Dubai, with the winner moving to the top of the table.
