Slow Warner under fire after Delhi lose again

David Warner is under fire in the Indian Premier League after the Australian’s Delhi Capitals lost for a fourth time in as many matches and sit bottom of the pile.
The opening batsman and skipper has hit three half-centuries in this year’s edition of the Twenty20 tournament but his runs have come at a sluggish strike rate of 114.83.
At his explosive best, the 36-year-old left-hander is a match-winner. He boasts a strike rate of 141.30 in his 99 T20 innings for Australia.
But he cannot get going in this year’s IPL and his snail-paced 51 runs off 47 deliveries in Tuesday’s last-ball loss to the Mumbai Indians did little to quell concerns about his decline.
The once-destructive Australian appears laboured, even nervous.
“Even in the last couple of games, when he has been trying to hit, it’s not been coming off,” deputy skipper Axar Patel told reporters after the agonising defeat to five-time champions Mumbai.
“As a batsman, I don’t know what he is thinking at that moment.”
Warner’s innings got a boost in a 67-run sixth-wicket stand with Axar, who smashed a 25-ball 54, but Delhi were all out for 172 and their opponents went on to win by six wickets.
Delhi are bottom of the 10 teams in the IPL and the only side yet to win a match.
Axar said that Warner has spoken to Ricky Ponting and Shane Watson, two Australian greats on Delhi’s coaching staff, as he bids to get firing again.
He has also been counselled by former Indian Test captain Sourav Ganguly, Delhi’s director of cricket.
“The conversation about his strike rate also came up. They looked at his videos and he’s working on it,” said Axar.
Pundits have been scathing in their assessment of Warner’s struggles.
“I feel it is time that we tell him in English now so that Warner listens to it and feels hurt,” former India opener Virender Sehwag told Cricbuzz after the weekend’s 57-run loss to Rajasthan Royals. Warner made 65 in 55 balls before Delhi went down tamely in their chase of 200 in Guwahati.
“David, if you are listening, please play well... If you cannot do that, do not come and play in the IPL,” said Sehwag.
Renowned commentator Harsha Bhogle responded to Tuesday’s knock from the veteran opener by lamenting how difficult it was to watch “the great David Warner struggle”.
The Australian had been a drag on the team, Bhogle said. “He has been very honest about it, but at the moment, it isn’t helping DC get the momentum they need,” he wrote on Twitter.
Delhi, who have never won the IPL, are now in danger of an early exit from the play-off race.
The franchise suffered an early blow when skipper Rishabh Pant was involved in a car crash in December and was ruled out of the season, propelling Warner into the captaincy.

Tait backs frustrated Warner to find attacking gear in IPL
Delhi Capitals skipper David Warner has cut a frustrated figure during the Indian Premier League despite notching three fifties in four games and former Australia pacer Shaun Tait says the batting anchor is itching to rediscover his swashbuckling style.
Warner is second in the batting charts with 209 runs from four games behind Punjab Kings batter Shikhar Dhawan (225), who has played a match less, but it is the Australian’s strike rate of 114.83 that has raised eyebrows.
Dhawan’s strike rate is 149 and Warner’s figure is the lowest of the top nine batters.
“You can quite clearly see on his face and his reactions after shots or missed shots, that he’s pretty frustrated as well,” Tait told cricket website ESPNCricinfo.
“The only reason that’s acceptable is because other guys around him have been pretty poor as well. Because he’s such a great player, he manages to score and lead the runs.
“With David getting towards the end of his career, maybe that’s the thing. With such a great player, a legend of the game, you expect him to come out of that and go back to something we’re used to.”
Tait said there was a lot of “shanking” and several mishits from Warner, 36, against Mumbai as Delhi crashed to a fourth straight defeat to sit bottom of the IPL.
“He was trying in the first couple of overs, but it wasn’t coming off,” Tait said. “We don’t know what discussions he and (Delhi coach) Ricky Ponting have been having about his batting, ‘do you want to bat a bit longer?’ that sort of thing,” Tait said.