When David Warner brought up his half-century against the Mumbai Indians on Tuesday evening, his third fifty of the tournament, the Delhi Capitals captain didn’t celebrate the milestone.
He didn’t even want to acknowledge it.
In the 16th over at Arun Jaitley Stadium, the left-hander slapped a pull shot towards deep mid-wicket, yelling in frustration as he jogged through for a single. With his head dropped, almost out of embarrassment, Warner punched his bat as Delhi support staff and teammates applauded from the dugout.
Batting partner Axar Patel called him over for a congratulatory fist bump — the Australian sheepishly obliged, albeit shaking his head while doing so.
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Warner had reached fifty in 43 deliveries, making it his fastest half-century of the tournament to date. He was dismissed in the 19th over for 51 (47), caught at short third man after top-edging a well-disguised slower ball from compatriot Jason Behrendorff.
The 36-year-old would be the first to admit it wasn’t his most fluent T20 innings — he struck six boundaries, failing to clear the rope despite several attempts to go aerial. He rarely found the middle of his bat and had an uncanny knack for picking fielders when he did.
At the other end, Patel bludgeoned his way towards 54 (25), his first half-century in the Indian Premier League. The all-rounder, who came in at No. 7, demolished Mumbai’s talented bowling attack, smacking four boundaries and five sixes on his way towards a 22-ball fifty.
Warner and Patel combined for a crucial 67-run partnership for the sixth wicket — the New South Welshman contributed nine of those runs.
Delhi was bowled out for 172 in 19.4 overs after a late collapse, ultimately losing the match by six wickets. It’s become a common theme for the Capitals this season — Warner scratches his way towards fifty as wickets tumble at the other end.
“Even in the last couple of games, when he has been trying to hit, it’s not been coming off,” Patel said after the defeat.
“Everyone spoke to him … the conversation about his strike rate also came up. They looked at his videos and he’s working on it.”
Warner is currently the second-leading run-scorer of this year’s IPL with 209 runs in four knocks, but his underwhelming strike rate of 114.83 is cause for concern. Despite facing 182 deliveries in the T20 competition to date, he’s yet to muster a six.
Worrying, the veteran opener can’t be accused of not trying — he has attempted aerial shots on more than 20 per cent of deliveries he’s faced in the tournament, according to ESPNcricinfo.
He just isn’t executing.
Warner, one of the most successful cricketers in IPL history, has been a shadow of his former self over the past fortnight, fuelling speculation about his future.
“You can tell that he’s pretty frustrated,” former Australian bowler Shaun Tait told ESPNcricinfo’s T20 Time Out.
“The only reason it’s acceptable is because the other guys around him are pretty poor as well.”
Regardless of how Warner’s season pans out, his achievements in the IPL remain unrivalled. He’s the only international player with more than 6000 runs in the glamorous tournament, boasting 58 half-centuries to his name — Indian superstar Shikhar Dhawan is second on the list with 49.
But after starting their campaign with four consecutive defeats, the Capitals are in danger of an early exit from the playoff race, and Delhi fans will be praying a revitalised Warner can help turn their season around.
Delhi will next face the Royal Challengers Bangalore at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday, with the first ball scheduled for 8pm AEDT.
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