After big ton, Warner credits IPL for success in ODIs

PTI, Oct 21, 2023, 9:55 AM IST

PTI photo

Opener David Warner, who set up a crucial World Cup win for Australia with a whirlwind century, credited the IPL for working as a learning platform where he perfected the art of pacing an ODI innings.

Warner’s 163 off 124 and his 259-run association with fellow centurion Mitchell Marsh helped Australia score a 62-run win over Pakistan, and the result has lifted them to fourth on the table.

”I’ve established early on in my career that 50 overs is a long time. I look to try and get to 35 overs and then from there, try and put my foot down if I’m still in.

”I think that’s where in T20 cricket, I’ve learned a little bit as well to change my gears, especially in IPL. I learned a lot when I was playing for Sunrisers that you’re able to have a lot more time than you think,” Warner said during the post-match media conference on Friday.

A glance at Warner’s knock at the Chinnaswamy Stadium will give one a better idea. The left-hander brought his initial 50 in 41 balls, the next fifty came in 44 balls and the final 63 runs cascaded in a mere 39 balls.

”Having played Test cricket, you can change your gears quite easily. So, in the first 10, two new balls, you got to respect that. But then if you get away, you can be 50 off the first 10.

”Then from there, you set the platform for yourself and that’s the energy you feed off. If you give yourself time at the back end, you can actually score big,” Warner explained.

The 36-year-old has taken a special liking against the Asian side, scoring four successive ODI hundreds, besides making a triple hundred at Adelaide in 2019.

No magic potion against Pakistan 

Warner said he did not have any magic potion against Pakistan. ”I think sometimes you just match up well against certain teams. Sometimes you’re going to put away the good balls. But I think you just keep backing yourself. I don’t really look at any stats.

”It just so happens to be that I’ve scored…four consecutive hundreds, which I didn’t know about until they came up. But for me, it’s about doing my best every time I go out there,” said Warner.

The New South Welshman had a word of praise for his fellow opener Marsh, who made a 108-ball 121.

”I was probably the opposite, David – Goliath. He’s in such a great frame of mind at the moment and we love when Mitich is in that zone. You know, he’s a great man to have around the change room. ”He’s the life of the party, brings out the best in everyone and he’s always a character and that’s what you need in teams and in these back-ups against the wall games. It was awesome for him to come out today… his birthday as well,” said Warner. The veteran batter also did not forget the contribution of Marcus Stoinis, who dismissed Pakistan openers Imam-ul-Haq and Abdulla Shafique to make an early dent to their chase.

”It’s good to see Stoinis charge in like he did and bowl. He knows India well. He knows these grounds very well. You saw he didn’t really give the offside away much, backed himself with the short, there were short boundaries, but he backed himself in his skills to bowl,” said Warner.

Warner said he thought 350 was a par score on the pitch here without being dismissive about Pakistan’s ability to score freely.

”I honestly thought 350 was probably par, given the fact that we know the history of this ground and a little bit of dew can come and get a little bit easier to bat on. ”The guy said there was no show there, so that’s a positive. But always in these totals, they’re going to get partnerships,” he added.

Warner was dropped on 10 by Usama Mir off Shaheen Shah Afridi, and he made Pakistan pay for that error making a daddy hundred. ”It was more a slow off the wicket. I wish I just went through with the shot. But they’re the ones that sometimes they’re holding up on the wicket, you haven’t been bowled a short ball yet. So yeah, I actually didn’t even see him drop it. I was behind the big bison,” he added.