Sledge king Warner admits he’s ‘got to stop getting carried away’
AUSTRALIAN bad-boy David Warner has vowed to tone down his on-field antics in this summer’s Ashes series.
The controversial batsman has developed a reputation as Australia’s most provocative player who is desperate to sledge the opposition, as Jonathan Trott, Virat Kohli and AB De Villiers — to name three — have discovered.
Warner was suspended during Australia’s 2013 Ashes tour for punching England batsman Joe Root in a Birmingham bar.
Whether the 28-year-old really can curb his aggressive demeanour remains to be seen, but less than a month before the Ashes starts in Cardiff, he is determined to do so.
He said: “In the past I’ve been someone who’s been told to go out there and do this and do that, but at the end of the day I’ve got to look after myself. There are people who do talk and don’t talk on the field. If I don’t want to be that instigator, I don’t have to be that instigator. So time will tell. I’ve learned a lot over the last five years.
“The way people perceive me, in terms of how I approached the game on the field over the last couple of years, I created that myself. I’m always in the heat of the battle. I’m always the one who’s going at the opposition batsmen. Every opportunity there is out there, there always seem to be cameras on me.
“So I’ve got to be smarter, on my game, and make sure I don’t get carried away with being in that moment.”
Warner can be antagonistic off the field, too — as Root discovered. He was also criticised for calling England batsman Trott “weak” during the Brisbane Test in November 2013.
Warner did not know this when he made his remarks, but Trott was suffering from a stress-related illness that forced him to fly home after that match. He played only three more Tests for England, in the Caribbean earlier this year, before retiring.
Warner intends to be around for quite some time and believes the best way to achieve this is by keeping his mouth shut.
He told ESPNcricinfo: “I’ve quietened down a little bit around the guys, and it’s more about the longevity of my career and giving your all when you’re actually out there for Australia.
“I thought about how much cricket is coming up in the next two years and for me it’s about conserving energy.
“In the everyday world, everyone knows that sitting down and having a conversation with someone can be draining and energysapping.”