Australia coach Justin Langer backs 'champion player' David Warner to return to form in international cricket
Coach of the Australian side, Justin Langer has backed the out-of-form opener, David Warner to return to form in the upcoming Test series against Pakistan. The coach has stated that Warner is a champion athlete who knows how to bounce back.
Speaking to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, the former Australian opener, Langer told:
“He had a poor series against England, no doubt. That’s just a fact, and he knows that. “But he also hasn’t lost his talent, because he was the highest run scorer in the World Cup two weeks before the Ashes started, and he was the highest run scorer in the IPL (Indian Premier League) before that. So he can bat.”
David Warner had made his comeback to the Australian Test team during the 2019 Ashes series in England after serving a one-year ban for his involvement in the infamous ‘Sandpaper Gate’ scandal. The southpaw struggled to score runs against the English bowling, especially Stuart Broad and managed to score just one fifty in the entire series.
Earlier this week, the chief selector of Cricket Australia, Trevor Hohns had announced that there are two to three spots up for grabs in the Australian batting line-up, hinting towards the omission of David Warner.
However, the left-handed batsman proved his capability with a glorious hundred for New South Wales in the Sheffield Shield tournament.
Langer added:
“The other thing about David Warner, my experience tells me that you never write off champion players. And he’s a champion player.”
The head coach of the Australian team also praised Tim Paine’s captaincy by acknowledging him as an outstanding skipper. Langer said that the wicket-keeper batsman is doing a splendid job for the squad at the moment.
While the Australian squads for the Test series against Pakistan and New Zealand are yet to be announced, Paine is expected to continue leading the side in the longest format of the game. Also, Warner will receive another chance to prove himself in red-ball cricket.