Immediately new author Grant Scott articulates one thing that loads of England supporters assume however not often say. You inform ’em, Grant…
As he unleashed his trademark leap into the air earlier than injuring himself and having to retire damage (he’d come again out the subsequent day), David Warner seemed a jubilant however relieved man. He had each proper to be too, he had simply reached a double hundred in what was his first Take a look at century in almost three years. Over the course of these three, lengthy, lean years, Warner averaged simply 26.07 throughout 15 Take a look at Matches.
Throughout this face-saving double ton, Warner managed to move Mark Waugh into eighth place on Australia’s most Take a look at runs listing. That twenty fifth Take a look at ton additionally places him eighth in most Take a look at a whole bunch scored for Australia, too. His Take a look at file now stands at 8132 runs at 46.20, with 25 a whole bunch throughout 101 Assessments, and at a strike fee of 71.37. Spectacular… or so that you’d assume. But it surely’s a considerably totally different story whenever you delve deeper into Warner’s file.
Now, I ought to level out that we’re solely taking a look at Warner’s Take a look at file. His statistics within the two white ball codecs is superb. However when one breaks his Take a look at numbers down, we see a definite sample…
In 55 dwelling Assessments, Warner’s common will increase to 58.40 with a whopping 19 a whole bunch. However in 46 Assessments away from dwelling, his common drops to a mediocre 34.01 with simply 6 of his 25 Take a look at tons approaching overseas soil. For somebody who has been dubbed as the most effective Take a look at opener of this era, they’re some telling statistics.
I think about any fervent Warner followers studying it will inform me that it’s not unusual for cricketers (or even perhaps sportspeople normally) to fare higher at dwelling than away. And, after all, they’d be proper. It’s not unusual. However Warner’s drop off away from dwelling is important although – it’s not simply marginal. What’s extra, that away file turns into even much less spectacular when put underneath the microscope additional.
Let’s take a look at these six away centuries. There have been 3 in South Africa – the nation with pitches and situations most just like Australia than anyplace else; 2 in Bangladesh – Bangladesh a crew whom, while not the rollovers they had been 15-20 years in the past, are nonetheless among the many weakest Take a look at opposition; and 1 in U.A.E – arguably the flattest wickets on earth.
Warner has subsequently performed Assessments in ten totally different nations away from dwelling, however solely scored a whole bunch in three of them. And people have are available in arguably the three best nations for him to take action.
The underside line is subsequently this: in 36 Assessments throughout the nations of England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka & West Indies, Warner doesn’t have a single Take a look at hundred to his identify. What’s worse, his common in these nations, the place his methodology is definitely examined, is simply 25.63. I repeat, 25.63.
Consequently, there’s an unlimited gap in his cricketing CV and, in my view, it goes largely unnoticed. Warner hasn’t had success on the raging bunsens of India or Sri Lanka, nor towards the crimson duke ball underneath cloudy situations in England. In different phrases, he hasn’t confirmed he will be profitable the world over. That is unusual for somebody who’s so usually dubbed as world class.
2023 is an enormous 12 months for Australia in Take a look at matches and an enormous 12 months for David Warner – they face each India and England away from dwelling – their two hardest exams and their two greatest rivals, to not point out they may possible have the World Take a look at Championship Closing sandwiched in between as properly.
Can Warner, on the age of 36, abruptly discover the flexibility to attain runs in all situations and rip this text to shreds?
Predictably he failed miserably within the first innings in Nagpur- castled spectacularly by Mohammad Shami with simply 1 run to his identify. However there’s at all times the second dig…
Grant Scott
