"I Think He Will Make Some Runs": Ricky Ponting On David Warner

Former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting believes that struggling opener David Warner has shown hints of his best form during the ICC World Test Championship final against India and in the first innings of the Ashes Test against England and "he will make some runs", reported ICC on Sunday. The pressure is building on Warner and his place in the Test team is under scrutiny due to his recent form. He fell to Stuart Broad for just nine runs at Edgbaston, making it his 15th dismissal against the veteran English pacer.

Against Broad in Tests, Warner has scored 397 runs in 734 balls at a sub-par average of 26.46. He has been dismissed 15 times by the bowler.

The statistics only read worse in England's seam and swing-friendly conditions. Broad has put Warner on a leash at home, with the latter scoring only 158 runs in 329 balls at a poor average of 17.55. He has dismissed Warner nine times in England.

In 15 Tests, so far, in England, Warner has scored 704 runs at an average of 25.14. He has scored seven fifties in 28 innings, with best score of 85.

In 2023, he has just scored 89 runs in five Tests across seven innings at an average of 12.71, with best score of 43. Last year, he scored 571 runs in 11 Tests at an average of over 30, with one century and two fifties in 20 innings and best score of 200*.

With these numbers, pressure will build on Warner in case he fails in the second innings as well. But Ponting feels that the first innings at Edgbaston and in WTC final suggest that he is close to getting back to scoring runs like he used to.

"I thought he looked really good in the first innings of the WTC Final; the 40-odd he made there, he played really well," Ponting said on latest episode of The ICC Review.

"And even though he