Perth - Australia’s opening batsman and vice-captain David Warner is never shy of speaking his mind, and he had a fair bit to say ahead of the opening Test against South Africa at the Waca.
Independent Media’s cricket writer Zaahier Adams, who will be covering all three Tests Down Under, shares Warner’s thoughts on Dale Steyn wanting to cut his head off, young Kagiso Rabada and that2014 tour to South Africa…
1. South Africa have probably one of the best bowling attacks in the world, does that excite you?
Yeah 100%, we had a first hand opportunity to face their bowling attack recently on the one day tour. We know what we're going to get, we know what we're going to expect, they're all going to be fired up and pumped and so are we as batsmen and as a team. I'm really looking forward to the challenge, and speaking to our other guys they're pumped as well.
2. Dale Steyn said the other day there were two guys that he would target: Steve Smith and yourself. He spoke about cutting off the head of the snake and the rest of the body will fall. Do you feel that you now need to come back because he’s out to get you?
There's 11 players in the team and if Dale wants to start playing that game I'll let him do that. For us it's about going out and doing our best, and if he feels that cutting the head off the snake then everyone else falls apart, I don't see that happening at all. That's the fast bowler talk, we're not going to entertain those thoughts or scenarios, we're just going to go out there, back ourselves and do what we do best. That's play positive cricket, we know the conditions we're going to face out here, so hopefully they do get carried away and start bowling short and fast, because at the end of the day you've got to bowl at the stumps to get wickets.
3. Do you think Mitchell Starc can get the ball up to 160km/h this week?
Every chance. He looked very ready to go in the latter part of his spell in Queensland, got the ball through nicely and started shaping the ball as well, which is what we like to see. If we go back 12 months and see what he delivered out here, if there's a bit more pace in that wicket it could be even scarier. I feel he's ready to go and I feel he thinks he's ready to go.
4. Is Starc the most terrifying bowler to face in the nets?
I don't have to face him too much [in the nets], that's the beauty of this format with the coaching staff tinkering with the batting line-up, I've had some scars in my past at these nets. It's just fortunate enough I've been selected to bat in different groups. But he's bowling quick in those nets, if you ask any player that's played the game or presently that's practiced on these wickets, it's the scariest one on the calendar."
5. You’ve spoken a lot in the past about how getting into a contest with the bowler gets you going. Obviously you’ve changed a lot in terms of your character and evolved on and off the field, but do you still like getting into that contest or is your mental approach different now?
I feel that it's come more with maturity that I've started to let my bat do the talking. That's what happens when you evolve as a player and you get to a point where you understand the game well enough. (Kagiso) Rabada spoke the other day about banter out there and you know he's a young guy coming through and that's something he gains confidence through. I know he said a few words when we were in South Africa, but you love that as a batsman, I feel now that I let my bat do the talking and that's all I have to worry about when I'm out there. With the new laws and the demerit points they go for two years, so I can't afford to sit out a game."
6. What’s been the thing you have focused on most since becoming vice-captain?
For me it’s about making Steve’s (Smith) job easier. Doing the little things around the group to make sure his job is just solely based on out on the field being tactical, bowling changes etc like that and away from the field just making sure the troops are upbeat and ready to go. If anyone needs anything I ask the guys come to me and just let Smudge (Smith) just think about what he has to do for the Test match coming up. You guys know Steven, he’s a very simple, down to earth guy, he’s very cruisy so he actually likes being a bit more hands on, likes getting feedback from the guys which is great. I just try and make his life a little bit easier if I can.
7. Do you think the combination works well?
Yeah definitely. We are pretty much chalk and cheese. He likes his crosswords, I don’t like crosswords. But at the end of the day we’re on the same lines when it comes to cricket and that’s the most important thing. That’s our job. Our job is to try and get everyone together and making sure we’re on the same track and at the moment I think everyone is in a positive mindset. We’re ready to go, it’s the first Test of the summer and we can’t wait to get out there.
8. Would you like to see Peter Siddle get an opportunity at the Waca?
That’s dependent on what the selectors feel, he’s obviously come off the long break. Credit to him for getting himself ready and fit he’s bowling faster than I have faced in the previous times, he feels fit, he’s bowling a good line and length. I think you guys would have seen him out there in the nets troubling us batsmen. He’s one of those bowlers that when he hits line and length and there’s a little bit in that wicket, he’s hard to face and he’s been our rock for many years now and he’s got the games under him and the experience to know what to bring out here.
9. What’s your relationship with Shaun Marsh and strength of your opening partnership?
When SOS doesn’t say much to me I think I am in a great position with SOS. Because we all know SOS is a man of few words. He’s an intense player, the feedback we get when we’re out there together is we try and rotate strike a fair bit, that’s one thing we really work on as a partnership and he likes to leave a lot of balls early on in his innings, I’m a bit different, I like to feel bat on ball. But we work very well together, we’ve batted together in one dayers, Test matches, we know each other very well and that’s the good thing about coming into a Test series, when you know your partner at the other end and I was fortunate that the selectors have gone that way as well instead of picking someone who was fresh and new.
10. What were are your memories of the 2014 South Africa tour and do you have any regrets about what said over there?
There was a lot of luck. Think I got dropped every game. I think that we had a great bowling attack there where we had intimidation factor. We had players who verbally got together and really showed presence out there. I think that’s what we really needed to get over the South Africans. They had a fantastic line-up batting and bowling. We felt we really had to have that presence in their own backyard as we always have to have over here on our own backyard. But over there I think there was just something different about the Australian cricket team. We knew we had to fight together to beat them on their home turf and we managed to do that. But as we know, Test match cricket, the best ones go down to that last hour and it was a fantastic effort from the bowlers predominantly to grind out that day because I think we had Adelaide in the back of our minds when we played there. For myself looking back at that, got to try and look at what worked for me then to try and make work this summer.
11. There was a lot of talk of the team being quiet in Sri Lanka. Is that something that can be worked on and improved?
That all starts in preparation and leads in from training. When we get on the field we know exactly what we have to do. Our preparation we have to be disciplined.
When we're up and about and we've got that buzz and energy in the air and you can hear the guys talking, that’s when we know we're in the right direction. When we walk out onto the field the instinct and skills takes over.
12. What are you hoping for from the Waca pitch?
I would like for him (curator) to stay on the roller all night. When we look at the wicket last year it was flat and lacked a bit of pace. I think traditionally in the last few years I've been playing her it's lacked that zip.
You go back a couple of years we played South Africa in back to back one-dayers it had nice bounce and carry. When you see that sheen on the WACA, you know it will be a fast wicket. We're hoping to see that because we love that contest with bat on ball. For a batter you can leave predominantly when the ball is short of a length.
Hopefully it's got that sheen.
13. What did you learn from Adelaide and Faf du Plessis’s innings back in 2012?
You can take it from any of those guys who played that day. They batted well, they were patient. They probably went out with the hope of winning but they knew it was out of their reach. They knew they had to bat time and looked at it as a net session. Credit to them, they played fantastic, we didn’t take our chances Sidds bowled a phenomenal day, he was a workhorse. He was on his haunches, he gave everything.
It's in the past, we've let that go. We'll try a few things different, I'm hoping there's a different result this year, hopefully at the Waca.
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