“He's pretty keen to go on for a few more Ashes now” - Aussie batting coach’s cheeky remark on David Warner following Stuart Broad's retirement

Australian batting coach Michael di Venuto quipped that opener David Warner is keen to play a few more Ashes series in the wake of his nemesis Stuart Broad’s retirement. On a serious note, he added that while Warner has been positive with his footwork in Ashes 2023, poor stroke selection has cost him his wicket a number of times.

Broad has dismissed Warner 17 times in Test cricket, including in both innings of the Headingley Test. The England pacer announced his retirement from professional cricket following Day 3 of the ongoing Test at The Oval amid question marks over Warner’s Test future.

While rain washed out half of the fourth day’s play on Sunday, Australia find themselves in a decent position in a chase of 384 courtesy of their openers. Usman Khawaja (69*) and David Warner (58*) added an unbroken 135 in 38 overs before rain prevented any further play.

Praising the under-pressure Warner, di Venuto said in a tongue-in-cheek tone:

"I think he's pretty keen to go on for a few more Ashes series now [hinting at Broad’s retirement].” He went on to add, "On this tour he has looked to be positive most of the time on his feet. We have seen plenty of energy out of the crease. He has made some really good starts, and just generally made a poor decision when he has been dismissed.

"The way he has been playing, it has been a little out of character when he has been dismissed. So far in this innings he has looked really good, made some good decisions, and played really nicely," the Australian coach asserted.

Praising the Australian opening pair, di Venuto described their batting effort on Day 4 as an outstanding one.

"They have put some starts together through the series. To get a 100-run start when we are chasing 380 was an outstanding effort,” the 49-year-old said.

While Khawaja struck eight fours in 130 balls, Warner hit nine boundaries while facing 99 deliveries.

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“We're all pretty keen to score those runs” - Michael di Venuto on Australia being set 384

Australia haven’t won an Ashes series in England in over two decades, but Michael di Venuto is confident that the visitors can pull it off this time.

"There are a lot of guys who have been on Ashes series over here in the past and haven't managed to win. Twenty years is a long time. We're in a great position for some of the boys to get that on their resume. We're all pretty keen to score those runs tomorrow [Monday]. This morning when we got our target we knew we had a long time to bat to score those runs,” he said.

Asked for his assessment of conditions on Day 4, the Australian coach replied that the wicket was very good for batting, which aided their cause.

"Conditions had a lot to do with it today. It's a very good batting wicket out there. Absolutely a little swing and seam at times, but generally really good batting conditions. We saw a little bit of spin out of the rough to the left-handers but you would expect that,” di Venuto quipped.

Australia need a further 249 runs on Day 5 at The Oval to clinch the five-match series by a 3-1 margin.