A year ago, David Warner was at a crossroads. Suspended for two Ashes Tests for punching Joe Root, dropped from the one-day team in England, fined for a Twitter spat with two journalists – 2013 had been a shocker of a year for Warner. Most importantly, the Test runs just weren’t flowing. In seven Tests in India and England he had managed only 333 runs at 23.78.
Now he has become the second Australian in the post-Bradman era to score three centuries in consecutive Test innings, joining Adam Gilchrist, who achieved the feat in 2005. When Warner brought up his century on the third morning in Dubai with a drive through cover for four off Imran Khan, he celebrated with his typical running leap.
And well might he enjoy it. How could he not be loving life? In September, he became a father for the first time with the birth of daughter Ivy Mae, and now his last six innings read 115, 70, 66, 135, 145 and 133. His past 12 months have brought him 1199 Test runs at 74.93.
Not surprisingly, his resurgence has more or less coincided with the appointment of coach Darren Lehmann, who encourages his players to trust their natural game and take an aggressive approach. His strike rate for the past 12 months in Test cricket is 79.77; in the previous 12 months it had been 67.13, hardly slow, but an indication he is now more free-flowing.
Before the home Ashes last year, Warner said that he had struggled with thinking too far ahead, and had worked with sports psychologist Michael Lloyd on focusing on the now. He had to deal with his mental approach to things.
A long chat with his partner Candice Falzon and his parents helped Warner reassess his priorities. There have still been occasional issues – he was fined in South Africa for comments questioning whether AB de Villiers scraped the ball with his gloves to gain reverse swing – but overall it is a more mature Warner who now wears the baggy green.
“It obviously comes with age and the more times you go out in the middle the more you realise what you can do,” Warner said before resuming his innings on the third morning in Dubai. “It’s been a great last 12 months but I’ve got a long career ahead of me if I keep scoring runs.
“There was a lot going through my head 12 months ago and I knew, either knuckle down or I won’t play again for Australia. So I spoke to my parents, I spoke to Candice and we came up with a solution to switch on and focus and get back to what I want to do and that was play cricket for Australia.”
Refocusing on what was important helped Warner through the home Ashes, in which he scored hundreds in Brisbane and Perth and was the leading run scorer from either side. That series also continued his developing relationship at the top of the order with Chris Rogers; their 128-run opening stand in Dubai was their fifth century partnership in 21 innings.
“We go well together,” Warner said. “It’s great fun out there. Bucky [Rogers] doesn’t really say much but when we’re off the field he says a lot. We’re going fantastically as a partnership and hopefully we can continue with our success.”
There were occasional times during their stand when quick running between the wickets tested Warner’s groin, which he injured during the final ODI in Abu Dhabi 12 days ago. He rested from the warm-up match in Sharjah to ensure his fitness for this Test, but before resuming his innings on Friday morning he conceded that he was struggling at times.
“It’s very sore and tight,” Warner said. “But as people can see and are aware of it’s very hot out here and you don’t really have to run at a high intensity like Twenty20 and one-dayers so at the moment I’m coasting my way through it.”
After the first half of his 2013, he is happy to even be there, whether sore or not. After his fracas in a Birmingham pub in June, he might nearly have been gone from the Test side for good.
Incidentally, as at lunch on day three when Warner was still not out, only one batsman had played as many Test innings as Warner in 2014 for a higher average. His name? Joe Root.
