Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell has backed teammate David Warner after the opener’s first-ball duck in the World Cup warm-up game against New Zealand on Monday night. Going through a lean patch, Warner’s form has been a concern for the Australian team management heading into the World Cup.
The veteran Aussie opener was removed as SRH skipper in May this year following his poor form and was again dropped from the playing XI during the UAE-leg of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
He did not play any IPL matches after that and headed straight into the Australia camp ahead of the World Cup. But his lean run continued on Monday night in the first warm-up game against New Zealand, when he fell for a first-ball duck after advancing at Tim Southee. “If you ever doubt Davey, it’s an absolute no-no,” Maxwell said, as per ESPNcricinfo.
“You know he’s going to turn it around. He’s a superstar of all three formats. He’s made so many runs. He’s going to go down as one of the greats of the game. Unfortunately, he got Martin Guptill’d yesterday with an absolute hanger. Gup seems to do that a lot against us.”
“Those sorts of things happen when you’re searching for it. But you know when he gets out there come game time, come the 23rd [of October], regardless of what happens in the next practice game, you know he’s going to hit the ground running. He’s going to be a big player for us,” he added.
Maxwell will head into Saturday’s tournament opener with sky-high confidence from a stunning Indian Premier League campaign for the star-studded Royal Challengers Bangalore. During a sizzling second stage of the tournament, Maxwell slammed 290 runs at an average of 41.43, dazzling viewers with his innovative stroke-play.
