Cook’s 244 not out in Melbourne underlined his status as a great of the game, just as Warner’s versatility showed there is no one-size-fits-all route to successCricket is a sport of wonderful contrasts and during the Melbourne Test we saw the beauty of this in Alastair Cook and David Warner. Here are two champions who are performing the same job for their team and yet could not be more different in terms of personality or the way they go about their business. “Finding a way” is a very good coaching phrase in cricket. It denotes the individuality of this team sport. There is no one-size-fits-all route to success, rather a unique path that each player must take to get the...
The Australian opener demonstrated his maturity and judgment in a duel with the England seamer that showcased two masters of their craftThe impulse on sodden days is to say nothing much happened but there is a joy in our game in locating something meaningful from these moments. Fractals within fractals, where the greatest beauty sits within the deepest detail.Sure, there will not be a documentary made about the middle session of day four of this Ashes Test, where 33 runs were tallied in not even 19 overs before rain intervened. When the Wisden bible reports on this middling fixture, it may not even warrant a line. Related: Rain stalls England's push for victory after attritional day of Ashes cricket Warner...
Opener feels relief and achievement after his 21st Test ton fulfils a boyhood dream and puts Australia in control of the fourth Test in MelbourneBusy, eventful and more difficult than it appeared. It was only right that David Warner’s 2017 finished as it has been throughout. It was a year bookended with tons that showed version 2.0 of the Australian vice-captain, the latter of which ticked off both the England team and another statistical milestone.When reflecting on the century in a session he made during his first hit of this year Warner said the secret was that he had finally learned how to “caress the ball” to complete his game. Hardly words that sat alongside the Bull of old, defined...
Using your sporting ability and showing mutual respect while defeating an opponent shows up those who prefer crass trash-talkHow badly do you want it? That’s a question to be directed at an opponent in the form of a challenge, stated or implied. Does that challenge have an acceptable limit? In their different ways, and with very different responses, the Australian cricketer David Warner and the English footballer Troy Deeney both asked the question this week. Related: Australia’s David Warner promises ‘hatred’ and ‘war’ with England in Ashes Continue reading...
Australian cricketers have a history of taking on their board over money but this time it seems they are making a stand for those further down the ladderSo let’s unpack the sun cream, cancel the Melbourne Christmas party and stop studying our Aussie phrase books because the Ashes may never happen this winter. David Warner, no-nonsense opening batsman, has morphed into a no-nonsense Scargillian spokesman in the dispute between Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers’ Association (the players union).“If it gets to the extreme they might not have a team for the Ashes,” said Warner, who speaks as forthrightly as he bats. “We won’t buckle at all; we are standing together and very strong.” Related: Australian Cricketers' Association responds to...