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'Someone's Got You 17 Times' - Ricky Ponting Gives His Verdict On David Warner's Future

image-lk137preDavid Warner and Ricky Ponting [Image- Twitter]

Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting wants the Pat Cummins-led unit to persist with under-performing opener David Warner for the all-important Old Trafford Test against England.

Warner has managed just 141 runs in 6 innings thus far at an average of 23.5, and a solitary half-century, leading to calls for his axing from Australian fans following a defeat in the last Test in Leeds.

As has been the case in the past, Stuart Broad has once again been all over the Australian southpaw this series. Broad has dismissed Warner thrice in the six innings so far, taking his head-to-head tally to 17 dismissals.

With Mitchell Marsh doing well in Leeds, and Cameron Green available for selection, there are calls to drop Warner and push the former to the top of the order, allowing Green to play at 6.

While Ponting acknowledged Warner's struggles in a recent video shared by the ICC, the former skipper feels that Australia should still persist with the veteran opener.

"I know there's been a lot of chat the last couple of days since the end of Headingley and it's more the fact that it's Broad that's getting him out, I think. I think if it was anybody else, the noise probably wouldn't be quite as loud, but the fact that he struggled to get through the opening spells of Broad a few times in this series again, makes it a little bit more of a worry," Ponting told host Sanjana Ganesan on the latest episode of The ICC Review.


"When someone's got you out 17 times, it does become as much a mental or probably more of a mental battle than it does a technical battle. But just thinking about the series, I'd be inclined to stick with David Warner."

As far as Australia's playing XI for the Old Trafford Test is concerned, Ponting has called for the inclusion of Josh Hazlewood in place of Scott Boland, who has struggled in the series so far. He also added that Australia should stick with off-spinner Todd Murphy despite his indifferent performance in the last Test.

The fourth Ashes Test kicks off in Manchester from July 19.


Ponting's XI for Old Trafford Test:

David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Mitch Marsh, Alex Carey (WK), Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins (c), Josh Hazlewood, Todd Murphy