David Warner: Will talent prevail over temper?

David Warner

Anger is an attribute you would most probably associate with heroes and positive protagonists in movies. The righteousness of their character provides them the hypothetical license of fury which they enjoy and exploit to their will. They slaughter villains at the slightest provocation, and get away with an incontestable excuse of entertaining the viewers.

Perhaps, the spectators at theaters and movies are completely different from those at cricket stadiums, or may be they don’t expect similar kind of entertainment from sports. Either way, the underlying fact remains that people do not watch cricket with the same generosity as films.

One man who would be complaining, rather cursing the not-so-liberal approach towards cricket is none other than Australia’s angry young man, David Warner. The hot-headed star would be fussing about the stringent restrictions of the Gentleman’s Game that aims to maintain its gentleness.

Even gentlemen can’t do without a few drinks on the weekend. After a long and tiring day at office and a week full of chivalrous deeds and civil courteousness, one can’t really blame a polite man to get drunk and catch up a mini fight at a late-night pub.

Rules are meant to be broken, Warner may argue. And that, he did. Unfortunately though, cricket fell short of admiring his aggression and Warner was forced to realize that life for a protagonist of the Gentleman’s Game is no cakewalk.

1263 runs from 19 Tests at an average of nearly 40 clearly signifies the danger he poses to the opposition as an opening batsman. It’s not extraordinary for a superbly successful cricketer to showcase an array of emotions on the field, but Warner certainly hasn’t yet attained that pinnacle of success.

His sublime talent and immense potential may excuse him a couple of times on the field, but his stats surely lack the audacity to license his off-field antics.

Australia have, in recent past, produced batsmen of the caliber of Justin Langer, Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist, all of whom used to be fierce competitors on the field and gentlemen off it. The world used to revere their spirit of never letting the opposition to settle down. However, their arrogance was a unique amalgam of respect and constructive aggression that never amounted to ruthless belligerence of rules and regulations.

In case of Warner, arrogance burgeoning from overconfidence, transcends all boundaries of decorum and decency. Impudence recognizes no limits once conceit infuses bias into the mind.

Engaging in a brawl with English cricketers at a pub or lashing out expletives at journalists, certainly, doesn’t suit an Australian international whose elegance and grace are expected to be iconic for the whole country. No wonder Warner received the boots pretty disgracefully from his own Board.

David Warner

The 26-year-old had never been the emblem of modesty. Humility was like a useless pencil to the painter who felt embarrassed to churn out mere sketches. His was a curiously interesting case of self-sanctioned excellence; and his ego once bruised, guaranteed indecorous attempts of healing.

Excuses of short temper are too meager to justify the actions which are exceedingly unbecoming of a professional. If the slightest of provocations succeed in incurring the wrath of an international cricketer, it is only apt to chuck him out as merely unprofessional. For all the stress that cricket offers, a calm mind is the minimum requirement for a player in pursuit of the national jersey.

Warner’s penchant for striking up arguments with almost anybody fails to flatter his appropriateness in the international arena. His volatility makes him a difficult customer to deal with, even for the Australian Board.

Recalled for the third Test, Warner is expected to feature in the playing eleven. If that’s the case, then Alistair Cook’s men must be keen to receive him with a cordial greeting. And if that hot-headed behavior at Pretoria is yet another indication of Warner’s vulnerability to distraction, we all may be in for a surge of adrenaline in the next few days.

What makes the call on Warner tough for Cricket Australia is his undeniable talent and insatiable appetite for success which promises a career no less illustrious than any of the greats.

Evidently, Warner’s stint in the baggy green has been a fairy tale as he exploded onto the international scene without even playing a single first-class match – the first man to do so since 1877. A dream T20 debut against South Africa in which he scored 89 off 43 balls was followed by a series of spectacular performances, which labelled him as a force to reckon with in limited overs cricket.

Glimpses of his immense aptitude were visible during his innings of 163 runs against Sri Lanka in the 2012 CB Series. While this innings boasted of extrovert aggression, a similar century against New Zealand in the Hobart Test of 2011 spoke volumes about his determination and perseverance. Although in an unsuccessful cause, Warner slogged his way to a patient century as he went on to become only the sixth player to carry his bat through the fourth innings of a Test match.

Whether off-field drama leaves him unscathed as he walks out into the middle or reprimands amplify his fortitude is unclear from his brutal 193 against South Africa A days after his suspension from the national team. Both ways, the right thing seems to have happened at the right time, and Cricket Australia needs him now more than ever.

Bitten by a failure bug, the batting department appears desperately in need of a centurion, and Warner has it in him to be their savior, provided his royal carnage at Pretoria wasn’t yet another stroke of luck.

No matter how professionally Cricket Australia tries to handle it, Warner’s case is a sensitive issue, more so because the person under the scanner possesses tremendous cricketing potential.

Cricket and discipline are inseparably intertwined and it is almost impossible to address them differently. The primary spot of bother for Cricket Australia is their recent collapse on various cricketing grounds. The lack is undeniable, so is the necessity. The hesitation is evident, the reasons prominent. Never before had any of the world’s most powerful cricket boards discovered itself in such a predicament.

How Cricket Australia answers this dilemma remains to be seen. Undoubtedly, the Aussies will be the trendsetters once again.