David Warner can continue playing Test cricket for another year if he can extend the imperious form he displayed against Pakistan in Perth, former Australia keeper Ian Healy said on Monday.
The 37-year-old, who scored a match-winning 164 off 211 balls in the first innings in the opening Test, which Australia won by 360 runs, is playing his swansong series. He is likely to bid adieu to the longest format of the game after the third Test in Sydney.
“What I love about him is his durability. We all know how fit he must be because he’s maintained his pace between wickets. I just love the way that he kept going and his feet moved,” Healy said on SEN Radio. “This is the bit I agree about Mitchell Johnson and what he said about, ‘Why have a swansong, your last three years haven’t been very good and now you’re picking the way you can retire’.
“But if he bats like that, he can go another year until he doesn’t want to play anymore. That’s what he’s been missing in Test cricket, that footwork, balance and real bat speed when he needed it,” he added.
Given his recent poor run in Test cricket, Warner faced a lot of criticism, especially from Johnson, for publicly announcing his plans for retirement.
With inputs from PTI
Coach sure of Pak fightback
Melbourne: Pakistan will hope Shaheen Afridi can bowl himself back into form and his batting teammates can rebuild confidence in a two-day tour match before trying to save the Test series against Australia in Melbourne.
Shan Masood’s team were trounced by 360 runs in the opener in Perth on Sunday, falling to a 15th Test defeat in succession on Australian soil. While Afridi managed only two wickets in Perth, the batters were poorer as they were bundled out for 89 in the second innings.
The hastily-arranged practice contest was not a part of the original schedule, nor will it have first-class status, but Pakistan need extra time out in the middle, coach Mohammad Hafeez said.
“Well, we couldn’t execute our skills well,” said Hafeez.
“We made plans for the team, but unfortunately we couldn’t execute them well. That’s not an excuse.
“The guys wanted to, but they never applied themselves, to be very honest.”
Pakistan will hope the pitch at the Junction Oval will be similar to the one presented at the MCG — the venue for the second Test. The visitors played their first tourmatch on a tepid deck in Canberra — hardly the best preparation for Perth’s fast and bouncy wicket.
They are expected to face several Australians with test experience, including Victoria skipper Peter Handscomb, opener Marcus Harris and Will Pucovski.
The Pakistan selectors may be grateful to have a specialist spinner available, with none fit for the Perth Test. Left-arm spinner Noman Ali is back in the mix after recovering from a cut finger.
Without bigger contributions from their senior players — Masood and Babar Azam among them — Pakistan may struggle to prevent the losing streak from stretching to 16 in Melbourne. But Hafeez stayed optimistic.
“I’ve seen during the preparation the amount of talent these guys have,” said the coach. “There is no doubt they can beat Australia herein Australia.”
With inputs from Reuters
