Australia batter Steve Smith on Wednesday backed under-fire David Warner to find Test form, saying the opener has a tendency of doing well when his “back’s up against the wall”.
Warner has been struggling in the longest format of the game. His last Test century came almost three years ago.
The opener could manage only three runs, which included a golden duck, in the first Test against South Africa, which the hosts won by six wickets inside two days.
Prior to the first Test against the Proteas, he had scores of 5, 48, 21, 28 in the four innings this summer.
“You only have to look back a (few) weeks ago (to) a one-day game out here (at the MCG) against England, he scored 100 on what was a pretty tough wicket,” Smith was quoted as saying by Australian Associated Press (AAP).
“We’ve seen David when his back’s up against the wall, he’s done pretty well.” Warner had undergone a similar slump ahead of the T20 World Cup last year but the 36-year-old had turned it around in incredible fashion to help Australia win their maiden T20 World Cup. He was also adjudged player of the tournament.
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“It doesn’t matter what format of the game, Davey always plays in a pretty similar way, which has been the beauty of him in Test cricket, being able to take the game on from ball one,” Smith said.
“Sometimes it doesn’t work, and he hasn’t had a great deal of luck lately.” While Warner wants to play in India and the Ashes next year, if his woeful form continues, the Southpaw is likely to be dropped form the Test side.
Australia will take on South Africa in the second Test beginning here on Monday.
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