Time to flip the switch

Punter backs Warner

RICKY Ponting was sure, before the Twenty20 World Cup, that David Warner wouldn’t just make the most runs for Australia in its title defence, he’d make the most for the tournament.

So far, however, the superstar opener, the player of the tournament last year in the UAE when the Aussies lifted the trophy, has made just 11 runs in three innings.

But his struggles are just one element of the World Cup that hasn’t gone right for the hosts, who Ponting says “just haven’t played well enough”.

Warner bashed 289 runs at the 2021 T20 World Cup, the second most for the tournament, on wickets Ponting said “didn’t suit him”. So returning home was supposed to be the perfect platform to go big.

He hasn’t, yet, but Ponting said a big one from Warner and his teammates on Friday wouldn’t surprise.

“Davey hasn’t played anywhere near his best you know, just knowing what he’s like, a World Cup at home, I thought he’d be the leading run scorer in the whole tournament,” he said. “He hasn‘t got those early boundaries that he normally gets you know, he’s been behind in the ball count early on and been under pressure and then got out.

“He was in really good form coming into it. I don’t think there’s ever much technically wrong it’s just when you’re not batting at your absolute best this is the hardest format of the game to play because there’s nowhere to hide.

“But you know, in all likelihood they’ll come out, needing to stand up and get it done and forget about all the negativity and just go out and play. They might just flip the switch.”

The Aussies locked in their squad a long way out, adding just Tim David and Cameron Green to the squad that went all the way last year despite concerns about the form of skipper Aaron Finch.

But Ponting doesn’t think selection was an issue.

“They’d obviously told Finchy a long way out, you know, almost regardless that he was going to be the man to lead them through the World Cup. And showing faith in champion players like that, I think is fair enough,” Ponting said.

“But I think you know, he hadn’t batted well for a while leading in, which I think was a bit of a concern for everybody.

“Cameron Green’s the interesting one. He just hadn’t played any T20 Cricket and the opportunity that he got (in India) to play those games and open the batting … created this bit of, you know, ‘should he be in, should he not be in?’.

“I think what they’ve done has been right. I just think they haven’t played well enough.

“I don’t think they could have changed much. I don’t think they’ve just stuck with the guys that won the last one for the sake of it. I just think they’re the best players.”