"I would not say that he is a shoo-in at this point of time" - Simon Katich questions David Warner's place in Australia's T20 World Cup playing XI
Former Australia batter Simon Katich has opined that David Warner needs to have a solid campaign for the Delhi Capitals (DC) in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL), to warrant a place in Australia's playing XI at the 2024 T20 World Cup.
The T20 World Cup, scheduled for June in the Caribbean and the United States of America, marks the veteran opening batter's final endeavor in international cricket. He retired from Tests and ODIs and recently played his final competitive fixture on home soil.
Warner heads into the 2024 IPL as one of DC's vital cogs, but his form has been a bit dodgy. He was among the runs in the T20I series against West Indies but had endured a horrid campaign for the Dubai Capitals in the 2024 International League T20 (ILT20).
Leading the side for a portion of the season, the left-handed opening batter scored only 115 runs in eight matches at a strike rate of 98.29.
Katich also outlined Warner's poor form across the last few seasons of the IPL and cited Australia's plethora of options in the batting department behind the latter's potential axing.
"His last couple of years in the IPL, I think it was like two years ago, with the Sunrisers where he got dropped, and that obviously had an impact and then he moved to Delhi. He probably has not been at his run-scoring best there compared to when he was at the peak of his power," Katich said on ESPN's Around the Wicket.
I think with Travis Head emerging and Mitchell Marsh at the top of the order, and I think Josh Inglis emerged on that recent tour of India last year where he got that hundred. Matthew Wade has done a good job in the finishing role, and we also know that Tim David is in there, Maxwell is in career-best form. So, there is going to be a little squeeze in there. So, I think Warner needs to have a good IPL. I still think he will go to that World Cup, but I would not say that he is a shoo-in at this point of time," Katich added.
Warner had suffered groin stiffness during the tour of New Zealand, which forced him to miss the final two T20Is in the 3-0 whitewash, thus bringing his bilateral career to a premature end.
"I think it is going to come down to form" - Simon Katich on David Warner making it to Australia's playing XI
Simon Katich feels that Australia's final playing XI for the T20 World Cup will be dictated by form, and Warner could feature at the top of the order if he has a solid IPL season.
"I think it is going to come down to form. I know he has done well recently against the West Indies, but the conditions in the T20 World Cup will be completely different," Katich said
As far as Warner's credentials in the Caribbean are concerned, he has played nine T20Is and has scored 208 runs at an average of 23.11, with a strike rate of 140, including two half-centuries.