I look back at Ashes and just forget about it, says David Warner
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Australian opener David Warner, who had a forgettable Ashes series post the World Cup, has revealed that he has moved on from the series and consciously tries to forget about it. The opener bounced back in style in his first game post the series, striking 125 against a strong Queensland attack.
David Warner stole the limelight in the Ashes for all the wrong reasons and became the laughing stock of world cricket after managing to score a total of just 95 runs from 10 innings. He was tormented by Stuart Broad, who dismissed him an astonishing 7/10 times in the series. Eventually, it got back to a point where he became a walking wicket and him getting dismissed by Broad also became a mere formality.
However, often known for his mental strength, Warner once again showed his mettle by blasting a ton in his first game post the Ashes in challenging conditions. Reflecting on the series, Warner has stated that there was nothing he could have done about it and said that he has since put the failures behind him and has forgotten about it. He also revealed that he had a discussion with Stuart Broad, who described his ball to dismiss Warner at Lord's as one of the best deliveries he's bowled.
"Me and Harry [Marcus Harris] spoke about it. What can you do? If it's in your first 10 balls and you get a good one, you can't do anything,"Â Warner told ESPN Cricinfo.
"I spoke to Broady about the one he bowled me at Lord's and he said to me it's probably one of the best balls he's ever bowled, up the slope and nipping back in, it's very difficult to do that repeatedly. I look back at that and just forget about it," he revealed.
He further shed light on his conversation with Broad and heaped praise on the 33-year-old for executing his plans to perfection. Warner revealed that he had originally only prepared for the ball going away from him but admitted that he was eventually outdone by the surprise delivery that came into him and credited Broad for the same.Â
"It was pleasing to hear Broady, the way he spoke about how he was trying to get me out. You can't generally play for the one that nips back because he's actually just trying to bowl scramble seam and hoping one comes back.Â
"All my hard work was for the ball going away from my bat and to his credit he bowled extremely well. He pitched the ball up [much more] than his career, he had to go work on a lot of things, and credit to him he's bowled fantastically to left-handers over the last 18 months," Warner revealed.
Now, having started the Sheffield Shield season with a bang, the onus will be on the opener to keep piling runs on the board, especially after chief selector Trevor Hohns indicating the fact that two or three batting spots were up for grabs ahead of the first Test against Pakistan. Warner is clear about the task at hand but is confident of his own abilities to succeed, knowing that Australia would be playing their next five Tests at home.
"Trevor said what he has to do as a selector and we know what our job is, it's to score runs. If you aren't doing than you probably rightfully aren't going to get picked. You back yourself, I know at home I have a great record, and you trust your game plan," Warner signed off.
