Australia great Ricky Ponting has expressed his support for David Warner, urging the selectors to stick with the opener for the upcoming fourth Test against England. Although Warner has struggled against Stuart Broad in the Ashes series, Ponting believes the left-hander has done enough in the past to warrant another chance.
In the six innings of the series so far, Warner has managed just 141 runs, and his place in the batting order has come under scrutiny after his failures in the third Test, which England won at Headingley. Warner was dismissed by Broad on both occasions, leading to doubts about his ability to handle the veteran pacer.
While Australian captain Pat Cummins had previously stated that all options would be considered before the fourth Test, Ponting feels that Warner has shown enough determination in the past to be given another opportunity.
Speaking on The ICC Review, Ponting said, I know there’s been a lot of chat the last couple of days since the end of Headingley and it’s more the fact that it’s Broad that’s getting him out, I think. I think if it was anybody else, the noise probably wouldn’t be quite as loud, but the fact that he struggled to get through the opening spells of Broad a few times in this series again, makes it a little bit more of a worry.
Despite his concerns about Warner’s form, Ponting feels that the 36-year-old should be given a chance to fight back, drawing inspiration from his performances in the World Test Championship final and the Lord’s Test.
Ponting highlighted the mental aspect of Warner’s struggles against Broad, stating, When someone’s got you out 17 times, it does become as much a mental or probably more of a mental battle than it does a technical battle. But just thinking about the series, I’d be inclined to stick with David Warner.
Ponting also pointed out the lack of first-class cricket for potential replacements like Marcus Harris and Matthew Renshaw, making it more important to persist with Warner given Australia’s 2-1 series advantage.
With the lack of tour games for Australia, it doesn’t just hinder the guys that are out of form, but it actually hinders the other guys that are trying to push for a place into the side because they’re just batting in the nets every day and they’re not getting any match practice either, Ponting explained.
He concluded, Even if you did make the change, you’d be making a pretty courageous call to bring someone in that hasn’t been in the line-up. Right now I’m probably more inclined to give David another opportunity and hope that he can get through Stuart Broad and go on and make a big score.
The fourth Test between Australia and England is set to take place at Old Trafford from July 19. As the series hangs in the balance, all eyes will be on Warner and whether he can overcome his challenges against Broad and contribute significantly to Australia’s campaign.
