Warner swats inner demons
DAVID Warner’s career best century might have been long overdue, but the sacrifices made to turn his fortunes around on spinning decks has provided a blueprint for a lost Australian team.
The normally bulletproof opener admits he doubted on last year’s forgettable tour of Sri Lanka whether he could ever master the subcontinent, and he hopes Australia’s Test rookies can learn a lot more quickly than he has, though he admits there’s no magic fix to the current plight.
Warner has revealed the secret to an exceptional ton in Dhaka was to mentally and physically break himself in a pre-season aimed at perfecting the fitness and mindset of a boxer.
Warner came home from the Champions Trophy in June and threw himself into daily sprint work and running hills.
Warner makes the stark admission that he can’t unlock the riddle of Australia’s batting woes on the subcontinent, but the tale of his Dhaka century brings its own lessons.
“What is the answer? I’m not sure. I can’t think off the top of my head, but you have got to dig deep as much as you can in these conditions,” he said.
“I’ve been there before. It’s not a great place to tour if you are not doing well — that [self-doubt] probably hit me in Sri Lanka. I just felt I was getting beaten all the time on the inside.
“It has taken probably longer than I expected, but hopefully my time has come now. You find these challenges rewarding eventually when you get on top, but it is very, very hard work. It’s taken me a long time to work out my game and hopefully a lot of other players do that faster than I have done.”
Warner has now joined former skipper Mark Taylor on 19 career hundreds, but given the work he had to put into eradicating his struggles on the subcontinent he regards his most recent ton as his finest.
“I just proved to myself that I’m capable of doing it on turning tracks with that positive mindset and energy in the legs,” he said.
“I would have to say, yeah [it’s my best].
“In a fourth innings in the subcontinent on a turning wicket, there are a lot of mental things that go through your head.
“And with the conditions as well you have got to be fast on your feet.”