PLAYER DIARIES
Follow UsIn the last few years, David Warner's name has hardly been mentioned without a debate over his spot in the Australian side. The 2024 T20 World Cup is only a few days away and the left-handed opener’s place in the squad is once again being questioned to the fullest, especially with the emergence of the flamboyant Jake Fraser-McGurk.
22-year-old JFM took the Indian Premier League 2024 by storm with his breathtaking boundary-hitting ability in the powerplay. Playing for Delhi Capitals, Fraser-McGurk smashed 330 runs across nine innings at an average of 36.66 and a strike rate of 234.04. The right-hander slammed 32 fours and 28 maximums. Two of his four fifties came off 15 deliveries, while one more was scored off 19 balls.
In the same competition, playing for the same franchise, Warner managed only 168 runs in eight innings at an average of 21 and a strike rate of 134.40. The left-hander could get only two 30-plus scores in the entire tournament. Warner missed five games because of a finger injury but did make a comeback in DC’s penultimate game. The 37-year-old got out for one run and was then dropped for Delhi’s final match of the season.
Looking at those numbers, you would understand why everyone was rooting for JFM to be picked ahead of Warner in the main squad. But as things stand, and as expected, Warner is part of Australia’s main squad for the World Cup, while Fraser-McGurk has been named in the reserves. So, let’s look at what is troubling Warner and why are Australia still backing him.
Warner’s poor form
Warner started the IPL season on a decent note, scoring 130 runs in the first three innings at 43.33 and a strike rate of 144.4. However, in the next five innings, the left-hander only scored 38 runs at a strike rate of 108.6. Not even in one innings did he have a strike rate of more than 150. Even in the International League T20 earlier this year, Warner averaged only 14.38 and had a strike rate of less than 100.
If we look at these two T20 tournaments, Warner had a tough time against fast bowlers. He got out to them 14 times in 16 innings and had an average of just 16.14. Most of his dismissals came from full and good length deliveries. Against seamers, Warner had a control percentage of less than 65. Not that he was great against spin either, going at an SR of just 114.
In IPL 2024, Warner had the fourth-worst average (25) in the powerplay among batters who scored at least 100 runs in that phase during the league stage. His strike rate of 113.16 in the middle overs (7-15) also suggests that he was having trouble finding boundaries.
Warner has played in 15 seasons of IPL but has never ended the edition with an average of 21. Since 2013, this was also the first time he managed only one 50-plus score in the competition. The 37-year-old had a really poor IPL 2024, but there are reasons why Australia have still decided to back him over an in-form batter.
Why are Australia still backing him?
Warner might have struggled in franchise cricket this year but his numbers in T20Is for Australia are second to none. He has played only four T20Is in 2024 but has managed to score 205 runs at an average of 51.25 and an SR of 165.3. Warner has been a consistent performer for Australia in this format since 2019, having amassed 1307 runs @ 52.28.
Among batters who have scored at least 1000 runs in T20Is since 2019, Warner has the third-best average after Virat Kohli (55) and Mohammad Rizwan (53.93). However, Warner’s strike rate is much better than the other two.
Warner is also one of the few players in the Australian team with experience of playing in the West Indies. He played in the Caribbean Premier League in 2018, where he scored 220 runs across nine innings @ 31.43. He played his first T20 World Cup in 2010 in the West Indies and is now set to play his last on the same Caribbean islands.
“The wickets can also be lower and slower, so you might not see 200-plus scores. People talk about the IPL, but you’ve got an impact player there. So you take that out of the equation. When you’re up the top of the order you try to get a good start but if you lose early wickets you’ve got to play what’s in front of you and adapt,” Warner told the Sydney Morning Herald.
Warner will open the batting alongside Travis Head, with Mitchell Marsh batting at No.3. The former two have produced some insane numbers while opening the innings in ODIs and could do the same in the 20-over format. If Warner gets going, his presence will allow others to play more freely. The thing about Warner is that, once he gets going, the left-hander ends up dominating the entire tournament.
The last time Warner had a poor IPL was in 2021 and he ended up being Player of the 2021 T20 World Cup. Warner, who has already retired from the other two formats, is set to hang up his boots after the forthcoming T20 showpiece event and would be eager to once again prove everyone wrong and completely retire from international cricket on a high.
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