David Warner- the comeback man
For David Warner, the former Sunrisers Hyderabad captain, and ex-Australian vice-captain, life came a full circle when he signed off his extremely successful Indian Premier League campaign on a roaring high following a belligerent knock of 81 runs off 56 balls against Kings XI Punjab in his last appearance at this year’s edition.
The southpaw who was part of the sandpaper-gate scandal that jeopardized the image of Australian cricket last year in the Cape Town test was making a comeback in IPL after serving a one-year ban. His performances and body-language throughout the tournament gave the impression of a cornered tiger, who was determined not only to return to a level where he belonged but also to prove to himself and the world of what he is capable.
His numbers at this year’s IPL speak for themselves as he amassed colossal 692 runs in just 12 matches with one hundred and eight fifties to his name at a whooping strike-rate of 143. Alongside Jonny Bairstow who partnered David Warner to open the batting for SRH, the duo made batting look ridiculously easy as they scripted a memorable and refreshing story together that thoroughly entertained and fascinated fans.
The Aussie who first burst onto the scenes as a swashbuckler with whirlwind innings of 89 in just 43 balls against South Africa way back in 2009 is perhaps the very first of its kind and a torchbearer who set the trend for players of newer generations to smoothly transition from T20 to Test Cricket. Warner's performances at this year’s IPL is further testimony to his impeccable knowledge about the game and the playing conditions as he mixed caution with aggression to display an eloquent, matured style of batsmanship to kick off SRH’s innings to the best possible starts more often than not.
At times in playing a second fiddle’s role to explosive and ultra-aggressive Bairstow, Warner, in fact, built many of his innings that actually resembled an ODI style of batting that certainly augurs well not only for himself but also for Australia as they look forward to their title defense at the World Cup next month.
In cricket, they always say let your bat do the talking and the 32-year-old, who was making a comeback from his ban did precisely what was necessary as he is all set to reintegrate into Australia’s team that will take the field at the game's biggest tournament.
David Warner could not have asked for more as far as his consistency, form, mental stability and performances at this year’s IPL are concerned. His rich vein of form this season that produced some of the most extraordinary results in the history of IPL puts the talisman in great shape for the upcoming World Cup as he heads to England not only confident but also inspired to deliver and fire on all cylinders at the grandest stage of the game to recapture the lost glory for himself, his team and Australian cricket in general.
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