When Warner was struck on the back pad by Sri Lankan left-armer Dilsan Madushanka at Lucknow on Monday, he was given out lbw by umpire Joel Wilson on the field and immediately called for a review, only for TV umpire Chris Brown to affirm the decision.<\/p>\n
Warner, like everyone else, watched the decision unfold on the big screen.<\/p>\n
\u201cNormally when something hits me on the leg on the outside, I know it\u2019s pretty much going down leg. I asked Joel when I was out there \u2026 why did he give it out? He said the ball was swinging back,\u201d the batsman said.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom my perspective on the replay, it wasn\u2019t. When you see on the replay how it unfolded, you get a little bit annoyed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Annoyed, Warner bashed his bat into the ground as he left, and afterwards was not seen for some time in the change rooms.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
David Warner leaves the crease annoyed at his lbw dismissal against Sri Lanka on Monday.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>AP<\/cite><\/p>\n Speaking the next day, Warner said he would like to see umpires\u2019 statistics on the scoreboard screen.<\/p>\n \u201cPlayers\u2019 stats go up on the board as you walk out to bat,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen they announce the umpires, I\u2019d love to see their stats come up on the board as well. The NRL does it. I think the NFL does it. It\u2019s a great thing for the spectators to see as well.\u201d<\/p>\n Warner said he knew umpires had their personal proclivities.<\/p>\n \u201cYou definitely know which umpires are going to give those 50-50 ones when it hits the pad, and that\u2019s where from my perspective it gets frustrating,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s no bias in anything. It\u2019s just that you feel that as a player sometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n David Warner takes a spectacular catch to get Sri Lanka\u2019s Kusal Mendis in Monday night\u2019s World Cup match.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>AP<\/cite><\/p>\n But he said his comments were not aimed at any particular umpires. Rather, he thought umpires, like players, should be answerable for their performances.<\/p>\n \u201cThere has to be some accountability,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you get a decision wrong, just accept it and apologise. Players aren\u2019t going to bite your head off. Umpires aren\u2019t going to bite your head off if you ask them the question. They\u2019re generally pretty honest.<\/p>\n \u201cYou see it with the bunker in the NRL. You get absolute stinkers and some umpires don\u2019t umpire the next game.\u201d<\/p>\n There\u2019s no doubt that the decision review system, or DRS, has been at times quirky in this tournament. It\u2019s been slow, as Warner noted. And, more than once, it has produced decisions that have surprised watchers near and far. In Australia\u2019s heavy defeat by South Africa, Steve Smith and Marcus Stoinis were both given out on review, decisions that belied the naked eye.<\/p>\n Warner said this was frustrating, but he admitted that no one had ever explained to players how Hawkeye worked. If they did, he said, players might be more selective in referring decisions.<\/p>\n Warner has made a modest start to his last international tournament, with scores of 41, 13 and 11. But on Monday, he had an impact in the field, taking two brilliant running outfield catches whose athleticism was not done justice by television\u2019s foreshortening effect. The first broke a 125-run opening partnership for Sri Lanka and precipitated their collapse.<\/p>\n The thing to remember is that Warner is 36 and a lot. \u201cI pride myself on my fitness, so now I keep taking the mickey out of a lot of the guys here,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m almost 37, running around like a little bulldog in the outfield. It comes down to attitude. And that\u2019s what fielding is; it\u2019s all about attitude.<\/p>\n \u201cGet 10 pieces of laundry, dive around, throw yourself around, and try and take those match-winning catches that can turn the game.\u201d The mind\u2019s eye moves to Warner\u2019s hotel room and blinks. Come back Candice, all is forgiven.<\/p>\n \u201cYou see people half commit,\u201d Warner said. \u201cI\u2019d rather commit and [have] it go for four when I\u2019m trying to take a catch or save a boundary. For me, it\u2019s a non-negotiable.\u201d<\/p>\n Warner, a natural aggressor, has been the constant at the top of Australia\u2019s order in all forms for more than a decade. For this tournament, his partner was to be the even-more-aggressive Travis Head, and the pairing was developing well until Head broke his hand in the prelude.<\/p>\n Now it is Mitch Marsh, whose bent for attack is so strong that he hit a lofted straight drive for four on the first ball of Australia\u2019s innings on Monday. If and when Head returns, Marsh will probably revert to No 3.<\/p>\n Warner said he enjoyed the premium on the first 10 overs now in 50-over cricket and the different ways of going about it. \u201cWith Mitch, we rotate quite a lot. With Heady, we just stand and deliver. That\u2019s just what we do,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cGoing out in a one-day international, trying to take the game on in the first 10 [overs], it\u2019s like T20. You just don\u2019t know what to do when you get outside 10. There\u2019s still 40 overs to go. You feel like you can get 200 every game. It doesn\u2019t happen that way.<\/p>\n \u201cI can go out there and try to hit a six every ball if I want, but it\u2019s not what the team needs. For me, it\u2019s about trying to bat for 35 or 40 overs, do my job well at a good strike rate. A strike rate over 95 in one-day cricket is pretty good.\u201d<\/p>\n Warner was nearby on Monday when Mitch Starc gave Sri Lanka opener Kusal Perrera a Mankad warning, then another.<\/p>\n \u201cTo be fair, if you warn someone, you\u2019d think that they wouldn\u2019t do it [again],\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s just a perfect example of ignorance and arrogance in a way; just not listening.\u201d<\/p>\n Warner said that in his experience, backing up early was a habit rather than a conscious effort to try to steal a run.<\/p>\n \u201cI remember Ed Cowan used to do it all the time without even noticing,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd he was still horrendous between wickets, even though he had a three-metre advantage.\u201d<\/p>\n News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport sent every Monday. <\/i><\/b>Sign up for our Sport newsletter<\/i><\/b>.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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