Warner stresses on patient approach

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David Warner patient? In Sri Lanka he knows he needs to be. Almost two years since his last Test hundred overseas, Warner is stressing on long innings and strike rotation as the keys to Australia’s success in Sri Lanka, and also India next year.

Not since a century in the first Test against Pakistan in Dubai in October 2014 has Warner topped three figures away from home ports, scoring minimally in the West Indies last year then squandering plenty of starts in the Ashes as he tried to adapt his game. While conscious of not losing his natural attacking instincts, Warner said there would need to be more nuance to the way the Australia’s top order confronts Sri Lanka’s spin bowlers in particular.

“The challenge for us is about batting long periods of time,” Warner said in Pallekele. “We know that’s what wins games in these conditions. You’ve got to be able to bat well into the next day and that’s the focus for us. It’s about adapting to these conditions, adapting to the things that are thrown at us and we have to take those challenges. It’s not about challenging specific bowlers. There are times in games when you might need to apply some pressure.

“You’ve got to be patient enough. You’ve got to rotate the strike. Your patience comes with hitting your four-balls, your boundary balls. They’re the ones you’ve got to really wait on. That’s what we’re talking about with patience in this game, especially over here. You’ve got to bite the bullet.

“[Rotating the strike] is the key, especially with a right-hand, left-hand combination, to try to mix it up a bit with the bowlers. These days a lot of teams either have a left-arm orthodox [spinner] or a right-arm offie. You’ve always got to try to rotate the strike and that’s the most important thing when it comes to playing spin or playing fast bowlers as well. Try to put the bowlers off a little bit.”

Asked about his lack of hundreds away from home in recent times, Warner said he would be trying to balance attack and defence. “I always try my best,” he said. “If I have to bat for a day or a day-and-a-half, I go out there and I try to do that. But the element of my game is to …

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