Warner will require jabs to box on in MCG Test
DAVID Warner will require multiple injections to grimace his way through what shapes as a summer of Ashes agony with the brave opener’s nasty rib injury unlikely to heal until the series has finished.
It can be revealed Warner has sustained significant damage to the cartilage between the ribs, causing him pain with every breath he takes.
The 35-year-old was administered a long-lasting local anaesthetic injection in the nerve before batting at Adelaide Oval on Thursday and wore a padded protecting the where he struck by a Ben Stokes delivery in Brisbane.
It is understood Warner will require jabs to on at the MCG week and could prescribed chemical treatment before every innings for the rest of the five-test series.
While X-rays cleared Warner of broken ribs at the Gabba, a CT scan would have been required to diagnose the cartilage injury.
It takes 8-10 weeks to recover from cracked cartilage, while bruising is in the range of 4-8 weeks.
Injections come with the slight risk of puncturing a lung, which happened to St Kilda footballer Jake Carlisle before a training session in 2018.
The severity of the injury only adds to Warner’s warrior-like reputation, with his gutsy knock of 95 now coated in even more courage.
Incredibly, Warner said on Friday the rib injury helped steel his concentration as he absorbed England’s negative tactics to post the thirdslowest half-century of his career.
They were very sore. I won’t lie about that,” he said. “Having that patience, I think it sort of helped me having that sort of injury.”
Warner scored just one run from his first 35 deliveries and was devastated that he smoked a loose ball straight to Stuart Broad just short of what would have been the grittiest of centuries.