Ashes 2019 | David Warner will be fine if he’s looking to hit balls outside off, opines Ricky Ponting

Quite no one will argue that Stuart Broad has got David Warner's number in the Ashes. Compared to his stellar World Cup, Warner has had a nightmare run in this series, averaging 11.28 with the bat. But according to Ponting, the southpaw can still turn it around if he ramps up the aggression against the England paceman. When Warner was dismissed for a second-ball duck on Day 1 at Old Trafford, it was the second time in the series he has fallen prey to his uncertainty facing balls outside the off-stump. 

"Davey, again, was lured into playing trying to leave. That's the second time in the series it's happened and I think it's a real mindset thing for him. If he's looking to hit the ball and not leave the ball like he is I think he'd be fine. When you see Davey at his best he's not really even thinking about leaving those (deliveries), he's trying to stand up on top of the bounce and hit that through the covers," Ponting told Cricket Australia's website after stumps on Wednesday.

The former batting great took time to speak to the struggling opener personally and said that he had offered him some advice on countering the angle from around the wicket that Broad has been using so effectively.

"Davey is obviously struggling with Stuart Broad. He has got his number, that round-the-wicket angle is really worrying him. It's worrying all the left-handers, to be honest," he said.

"I've said a few things to him about how I thought he could line up and try and play but it's a different thing to work on that at training and have the courage to go out and try and do that in a test match," Ponting added.

Barring his first innings 61 at Headingley, Warner has looked a shell of his normal self failing to surpass eight runs in his other six innings in the series. His second consecutive duck resulted in the Australian media branding him ‘Broad’s bunny’ on Thursday. The repeated failures at the top have put immense pressure on the middle-order, and especially Steve Smith, who will resume on 60 on Day 2 of the penultimate Test of the series. Australia ended a rain-affected first day at 170 for three, with Marnus Labuschagne scoring yet another half-century and Travis Head unbeaten on 18, alongside Smith.