David Warner is a man on a mission in this edition of ICC Cricket World Cup 2019. With determined batting at the top and runs galore to his credit, memories of the infamous ball-tampering incident is far behind him. The journey from there to here has not been easy but through it all, he has managed to fight off doubts and difficulties, earphones firmly in place.
Yes, Warner's most loyal companion during training sessions has been a pair of earphones firmly plugged in as he drives, pulls, cuts and jabs in the nets. Asked about why he has the earphones on during practice, Warner revealed recently that it helps him focus like nothing else. "It is just something I do to relax my mind. When you got guys coming at 150kmph, you really don't want to listen to any external noise in the training session," said the 32-year-old.
So what does he do when bowlers are hurling balls at break-neck speeds at him in the nets? Slows time down. "I like to sing along to whatever I think is the top 40 on my iWatch. It is a temp thing," he said.
Listening to music and humming along during gruelling net sessions may well be working wonders for Warner as he is the highest run-getter in the tournament at the time of publishing this report. He has smashed 500 runs in seven matches at an average of 83.33 and has two tons and three fifties to his credit. The free-flowing runs from his blade has played a key role in Australia becoming the first team to book a place in the semis of the ongoing World Cup.
