David Warner's strength in Australia becomes weakness in England, says Sky Sports' Mark Butcher, as opening batter falls to Stuart Broad for 17th time in Ashes cricket; how can Warner fix his Broad issue and is his place in jeopardy for the final two games of the series?
Saturday 8 July 2023 13:46, UK
Butter, jam, Marmite, David Warner… Stuart Broad has at least one of those on toast.
When the England seamer nicked off Warner on the second afternoon at Headingley, he removed the Australia opener for the second occasion in the game and the 17th time in Ashes cricket.
Broad did for Warner seven times in the 2019 Ashes in England as the batter averaged under 10 and now has him three times in the 2023 series after castling him in the first Test at Edgbaston and now twice having him caught at slip by Zak Crawley in Leeds.
So, why does Warner find Broad such a tricky customer to face from around the wicket?
Sky Sports Cricket pundits - and former left-handed batters - Mark Butcher and Kumar Sangakkara dissected Warner's woes during a rain-delayed start to day three of the third Test.
"It is technical and mental," Butcher said of Warner, whose scores in this Ashes series read nine, 36, 66, 25, four and one.
"In the first place it starts off as technical, trying to adjust to the angle from around the wicket. Broad is an expert at getting that ball to move away late having created the angle back at the stumps. When that happens two or three times, it gets in your head.
"You are trying to figure out a way of stopping nicking it and then you get bowled through the gate. Then you make an adjustment to stop yourself getting bowled and you go back to nicking it again.
"It drives you completely insane.
"I can't come up with an answer as to how he gets away from it, apart from running down the wicket, getting a thigh pad on it and getting up the other end and waiting until the spell is over.
"It looks like it is going to happen every time, Broad expects it to happen every time."
Looking at how Warner may be able to rectify his Broad problem, Sri Lanka legend Sangakkara said: "It is tough for a leftie because Broad is perfect at the art of using the angle and still using his wrist to take the ball away. It is not early swing, it is quite late.
"I have set myself up to play as every ball is coming in and not worry about the outside edge, just hold the line and if I nick it, I nick it.
"If your judgement is good, your defence is good and you train that in the nets, rather than try to get bat on ball, that is an option."
Butcher added: "Warner's issue is that he goes so hard at the ball. Even if he plays as Kumar says, because he is thrusting his hands at the ball so hard, if he does nick the ball it always carries [to the slip cordon].
"Kumar allowed the ball to come to him. If there is movement but you are not going towards it, you can hold the line and the ball goes past, or you can pull the bat on the inside.
"One of Warner's great strengths is how hard he goes at the ball and how aggressive he is. In Australia, where you don't get much lateral movement, that is brilliant, but here in England you have to be a little bit more gentle."
Warner spoke before the Ashes about hoping to end his Test career on home soil in January with the New Year's game against Pakistan in Sydney - but will he get that far?
Butcher added: "It is a bit presumptuous. There are very few people who get to call their closing moment and they tend to be the absolute greats of the game.
"Warner has been an excellent player but there comes a time when somebody else makes that call for you and if Broad keeps knocking him over…
"I suppose if Australia win this Test match and win the Ashes there might be a sentimental reason to let him carry on and continue to The [Kia] Oval and the fanfare there.
"But if they lose and the series is still alive, then perhaps that conversation begins about taking him out of the firing line and finding a replacement.
"One thing he has got in his favour is his catching at slip."
Watch continued coverage of the third Ashes Test, from Headingley, live on Sky Sports Cricket.
