Mark Taylor helps fellow opener stay away from controversy.
Wayward Australian batsman David Warner says former Test captain Mark Taylor has helped him realise he needs to grow up and stop being “a pest”.
Warner, 26, admitted he has taken his cricket for granted and a frank discussion with Taylor this week reinforced the need to pull himself in line and avoid squandering his talent.
“I’ve probably been a pest in the past but now it’s about maturing and settling down and actually working hard at the game,” he told Sky Sports radio.
“I know the last probably three or four years I probably have taken things for granted. I’m not getting any younger, the age keeps going away from you so hopefully I can leave this game in 10 years as a person to be remembered.”
The dashing top order batsman has been in constant trouble this year. Punching England opener Joe Root in a Birmingham pub cost him his place in Australia’s Champions Trophy squad and two Ashes Tests, an incident that came after he was fined for a Twitter spat with Australian cricket writers.
Warner, who was also axed from Australia’s current one-day and Twenty20 tour of India over form issues, this week received a one-match suspended ban for failing to play in a Sydney club game last weekend, which he put down to a “misunderstanding”.
“The old saying is that things come in threes, and I think I’ve had my turn now,” Warner said.
“There’s always going to be ups and downs in your life but it’s probably been a pretty bad six months for myself, but now it’s about moving forward and getting on with cricket and trying to be a mature adult.”
He said the message was rammed home after his talk with Taylor.
“The way that you act and the way that you can lead around the team by example, and the role model that you are, that’s how you get remembered,” he said, citing Taylor, Steve Waugh, Allan Border and Ricky Ponting as examples to follow.
COMMENTS