Australian opener David Warner ended up as the ‘Player of the Tournament’ at the T20 World Cup 2021 as Aaron Finch’s side went on to win the title for the first time in their history. Warner went on to score yet another fifty in the final as Australia defeated New Zealand by eight wickets in the final on Sunday (November 14) and the opener’s wife Candice wasted no time to take a swing at his critics.
The Aussie southpaw was sidelined by his Indian Premier League (IPL) side Sunrisers Hyderabad midway through the 2021 edition for his poor form. Critics felt Warner was in poor form heading into the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 but ended up as Australia’s star in the tournament.
Taking to Twitter after Australia’s historic win over Kane Williamson’s New Zealand in the title clash, Candice poked fun at Warner’s doubters for questioning the inclusion of the veteran opener in the star-studded World Cup squad. “Out of form, too old and slow! @davidwarner31,” Candice tweeted on Sunday.
See Candice Warner’s post here...
Out of form!! https://t.co/QpfPBEyd4D
— Candice Warner (@CandiceWarner31) November 14, 2021
Leading Australia to World Cup glory at Dubai, Warner slammed a match-winning 53 to help Australia upstage the Black Caps with Mitchell Marsh chipping in with an unbeaten 77.
Australia skipper Finch revealed that he had called coach Justin Langer a few months ago to tell him not to worry about opening batter Warner’s form ahead of the T20 World Cup. Warner was going through a lean patch before the start of the World Cup but the opener played important knocks in crunch games to help Australia lift the maiden T20 World Cup title.
“You didn’t expect that (Warner winning the Man of the Tournament)? I certainly did. Without a word of a lie, I promise you, I called Justin Langer a few months ago and said, ‘Don’t worry about Davey, he’ll be Man of the Tournament’,” Finch said in the post-match press conference.
“I thought Adam Zampa should have been Man of the Tournament personally, but he’s a great player. He’s one of the all-time great batters. And he’s a fighter. He’s someone who when his back is against the wall, that’s when you get the very, very best of David Warner. It was a special finish to the tournament for him, the last couple of knocks,” he added.
(with ANI inputs)
