Ashes 2023: “He was unstable at crease, distracted by the crowd”- Ian Healy on David Warner’s struggles

Healy and Damien Fleming backed Warner to play in 4th Ashes Test at Old Trafford.

By Jatin Sharma - 11 Jul, 2023

Former Australian cricketer Ian Healy talked about how opener David Warner was uneasy at the crease while batting during the third Ashes 2023 Test at Headingley, the match which the visitors lost by 3 wickets as England made the five-Test series 2-1.

Warner was dismissed for 4 and 1, caught by Zak Crawley in the slips off the bowling of Stuart Broad on both occasions, but Healy wants Warner to continue opening for Australia with Usman Khawaja, despite voices clamoring for him being dropped and Matt Renshaw to be given a chance.

What he put out at Headingley wasn’t good enough. His technique recently had been much better, head over the ball, but it all disappeared at Headingley.

He was jumping around, he was unstable at the crease and he was distracted by the crowd. It wasn’t good enough and we need better because he’s putting Marnus (Labuschagne) and Steve Smith under way too much pressure.

Marnus has been like an opener, and he spends a lot of energy getting to 20 and 30, then he’s getting himself out too,” Healy told SENQ Breakfast.

Ashes 2023: “He isn’t moving 100 per cent right,” Boycott urges England to drop Bairstow for Manchester Test

Healy doesn’t want Matt Renshaw or Marcus Harris to play in the ongoing heated Ashes series and is hopeful that the Australian team man agent will stick with David Warner for the 4th Test which begins on July 19 in Manchester.

I don’t want to throw a newbie, whether it be Marcus or ‘Renners’, into that team in that Ashes furnace. David Warner is in with the team that has got to get this Ashes done,” Healy added.

David Warner’s failure at Headingley has raised questions about his place in the Australian XI and his numbers in the series read: 9, 36, 66, 25, 4, and 1 for 141 runs at an average of 23.5.

Former Australia pacer Damien Fleming too wants Warner in the top order, despite his poor form.

“My gut feel with Dave is he always had a two-Test buffer. So he can fail in one Test, but if he fails in two he’s gone. He’s been pretty good up until Headingley. His batting at Lord’s was sensational. He and Usman on that first morning, we could have been four or five down at the first session.

But we’re 2-1 up and have to win,” Fleming said.

By Jatin Sharma - 11 Jul, 2023

TAGS