That’s exactly how David Warner looked like when he played in the 2019 Ashes on English soil.
James Anderson and Stuart Broad didn’t give him any breathing space whatsoever. Every time, Warner faced the fast bowlers, it seemed that he would edge one to the slip cordon.
Out of the 10 innings that he played in, Warner was caught eight times. Even with his 61-run knock at the Headingly in Leeds, Warner averaged 9.50 in the entire series. Leave out the half-century and Warner would prefer not to take a look at that average. The 2019 tour of England was forgettable for Warner to the extent that only Josh Hazlewood, among Aussie cricketers, had a worse average (9) than him.
While in Australia, Warner has an average of 51.54 in the Ashes, Warner averages a dismal 26.04 from 13 matches in England. Warner has played three editions of the Ashes in England and his best outing came in 2015 when he scored 418 runs from five matches with scores of 52, 83, 77, 64 and 85.
Last dance for David Warner
The 36-year-old Warner, now, has a last chance to put to rest all the doubts surrounding his inability to play quality fast bowling in England. The attack he would be facing would not be any different from the one in 2019.
Broad and Anderson have dismissed Warner 13 times out of 27 innings in the Ashes on English soil. Against Broad, Warner has got out three times for a duck and has an average of 3.37. Broad will be licking his lips to have a go at the left-hander.
Earlier this month, Warner said that he would be hanging his boots after the New Year’s Test against Pakistan in January 2024. However, the upcoming Ashes is a swansong of sorts for Warner given the enormity of the five-match Test series.
Even if Warner doesn’t perform in the series against Pakistan, that would be forgotten if he piles up runs in the Ashes.
How has Warner done in Ashes 2023 venues?
Warner will be fighting against numbers in the Ashes 2023. He doesn’t have great numbers at any of the five venues. He struggles at Old Trafford in Manchester, where he averages 11.50 with a top score of 41. Among other venues, Warner averages the best at the Lord’s (32.25). Warner has a highest score of 85 at the KIA Oval, but his average of 23.28 isn’t among the best given the standards he has set.
Never doubt the Hum-Bull
The New South Wales-born Warner has incentives to look forward to in the Ashes. He is only 112 runs away from becoming the 21st Australian batter to score 2000 Ashes runs. Moreover, he is also 389 runs shy of scoring 11000 runs at the first-class level.
Warner has a strike-rate of 71 in Test cricket and 71.42 in first-class cricket. Hence, it goes without saying that the English bowlers cannot afford to let him settle down. If Warner gets his eyes in, England could find themselves in big trouble.
Warner is currently fourth in the list of leading run-scorers across all formats for Australia after Ricky Ponting, Steve Waugh and Allan Border.
The numbers in the Ashes are against Warner without a shred of a doubt. But overall, Warner has been a stalwart for them in the purest format. Warner will also be charged up for the fact that he will not be playing in another Ashes.
If Warner plays out the opening burst from Broad and Anderson, he is good enough to give England nightmares in broad daylight.