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It seemed a matter of time before David Warner mastered ODIs – a format he always appeared tailor made to dominate.
From the day Warner crashed onto the big stage with a blazing T20 debut against South Africa in 2009, Australian fans have been waiting him for to conquer 50-over cricket. They had to hang on for seven years.
It’s not that he was a passenger in ODIs in the meantime, rather that he was merely a good player instead of the great one his talented suggested he could become. First he became an elite T20 player, then he ascended to star status in the Test format, and now, finally, he’s an ODI heavyweight.
The opener has cracked an incredible seven tons in his past 22 matches, amid a giant haul of 1383 runs at 66. Further underlining his ballistic batting in this time is his scorching strike rate of 106.
Prior to this golden period, Warner owned a middling average of 35 and was striking at 89. Neither of those figures matched up with his raw talent and suitability to the format.
For years Warner seemed trapped between two approaches. His instinct was to try to bully the bowlers from the first over. When he followed his gut he would compile the occasional spectacular knock but was consistently inconsistent.
In search of reliable returns he tried to fight his instincts and become a dourer batsman. This didn’t work either.
This year he’s belatedly managed to synthesise these strategies. When the match situation is favourable, Warner can still get off to a blazing start.
When it isn’t, due to wickets falling around him or quality bowling restricting his scoring, he has learned to pick off singles and twos and bide his time until the game opens up.
In short, he’s become a far more adaptable batsman. Warner highlighted this on Friday as he compiled perhaps the finest ton of his ODI career.
With Australia reduced to 2-11 and later 4-73 the vice captain was required to play within himself. He needed to steer his side out of this perilous situation.
In years gone by Warner struggled to find the right balance between attack and defence in such circumstances. Not anymore. He was content to cruise to his half century off 61 balls before upping the ante.
With young all-rounder Travis Head struggling to keep the scoreboard ticking along, Warner took it upon himself to put pressure on the Kiwi bowlers.
His second 50 came from just 33 balls. Yet he wasn’t chancing his arm – Warner managed to impose himself on the New Zealand attack without undue risk. This was the kind of calm, calculated acceleration we’ve grown accustomed to seeing from the two best ODI batsmen in the world – India’s Virat Kohli and South Africa’s AB de Villiers.
Over the past year Warner has consistently produced the kind of effortlessly-destructive knocks for which Kohli and de Villiers are renowned. While he has some way to go to match either of them in the ODI format, he is riding a steep upward curve.
Warner single-handedly won Australia the match on Friday. Without his input Australia may have struggled to push far beyond 150. It was Warner’s seventh ODI ton this year alone. Right now, he is unstoppable.