Australian opener David Warner’s struggles against Stuart Broad continued in the second Ashes Test at Lord’s, when the English paceman bowled Warner through the gate — his third dismissal to the same bowler in three innings so far.
Former Australia skipper and current assistant coach Ricky Ponting believes Warner needs to adapt to Broad’s plans and try to dominate the English spearhead.
“I think the thing that would disappoint Davey the most was the fact there were a few clear scoring opportunities that he missed,” Ponting was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au.
“There were a few really wide ones that he would generally pounce on and cut, and there was a half volley that he got a thick outside edge on and went to backward point,” he added.
“If he puts those three balls away, it’s a totally different game. You’re off to a flyer and the pressure goes back onto the bowler.
“The ones that he missed out on were short and wide, which says to me that he wasn’t as free in the mind as he should have been. He plays his best when he’s playing the ball and hitting the ball hard. That’s going to be the challenge for him; to free himself up in the mind, watch the ball and react accordingly,” the former skipper felt.
The former Test skipper added that Thursday’s dismissal highlighted how Warner is too focused on repelling the delivery that could get him out, instead of looking punish bad balls.
“I spoke to him before the series and he knew that was the way they were going to bowl to him,” he said.
“People think he’s just a stand-and-deliver batsman, but there’s a lot more thought into it than that. He plans very well and the fact he’s batting on off-stump (in an attempt to counter Broad’s line of attack) shows he’s thought a fair bit about it.
“The problem is, when you’re expecting a bowler to bowl a certain way to you, you tend to only look for that one delivery. He would have just been looking for something that was quite full, pitching on off stump and swinging away. Even the one that bowled him, it looked like he was expecting it to swing away from him. He missed it on the inside,” Ponting concluded.
