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ICC CRICKET WORLD CUP

June 20, 2019

David Warner

West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England, UK

Australia - 381/5 (50.0), Bangladesh - 333/8 (50.0)

THE MODERATOR: Questions for David Warner.

Q. The World Cup just keeps getting better for you, another 100 for you?
DAVID WARNER: Keeps getting better for us -- another two points, which is fantastic. Form is always great. My job is to go out there and score some runs and get us off on a good start and capitalise with some momentum, and try to bat as deep as we can.

And today was a good sort of hit out for us batters. I think it was a very good wicket, a challenging wicket for bowlers, to get wickets. I felt that we just had to keep going deep. And we were able to do that.

Q. Talked about going deep, you've been batting quite slow in the power play.
DAVID WARNER: Thanks. I was waiting for that. (Laughter)

Q. You expected that. But has that been a plan from you, I would assume?
DAVID WARNER: I don't mean to go out there and bat slow. I've tried to get a calculation how many fielders I've hit in the first 10. It gets a bit frustrating because you sort of middle one and it goes sort of full pace to the fielder and you kind of even get off strikes. That's been a bit annoying but I've just hung in there.

I got frustrated against India. I got frustrated against Afghanistan. And then today, Finchy kept telling me to hang in there and bat deep and bat time. And that was in like the eighth or ninth over. Because it's generally not my game to stick there -- and I usually try and go after it a little bit come down the wicket or something. But must be a bit more maturity, I think.

Q. I think I heard you say on the telecast between innings that you were trying to make up for the last year. Is that something that's been on your mind that, I guess, there's a bit to make up for?
DAVID WARNER: It hasn't been on my mind. It's just more runs that you can miss out on. For me it's about going out there and putting my best foot forward for the team and trying to score as many runs as I can. And it was more of a play on words to make up for all the runs that I've missed out on and for the team. So, yeah.

Q. David, you once were known as the Bull, I think, and the Reverend. Do you have a nickname at the moment. And have you had to change your approach on the field?
DAVID WARNER: Yeah, the guys call me humble. (Laughter).

Look, it's just one of those things. I think I was on a good behaviour bond for two years, I think it was, if that's what you want to call it, with the ICC. And couldn't really do anything on the field and I'm at that point as well at the moment.

It's a different game. We've played so much cricket. I know I have over the last 12 months with a lot of different people, especially the Bangladesh guys. Getting to know a lot of them as well has been great. Just opens your eyes to a new world. And, yeah, it's just normal me now.

Q. Mitch Starc seemed up and about when he got to (indiscernible) the wicket. What was the storey behind his celebration?
DAVID WARNER: I'm not sure. I know they have a few battles here and there. But I'm not too sure. It might be something to do with the test matches, when was that -- couple years back, but I'm not 100 percent sure.

I know Starcy is a fiery competitor. He always gets into battles with certain players. And there must be something there with him too I'm not too sure.

Q. I know you spoke about the personal pace you bat at. Shane Warne was tweeting, he thinks as a team you scored too slowly probably before the over-40 mark. Do you pay any credibility to that or do you look back as a team we executed our game plan really, really well?
DAVID WARNER: I always respect what Warne says. For us it's about going out there and doing the best we can. And whether or not we're batting slow or fast, I think you're going to get some form of criticism somewhere.

But I felt the way we batted today, we tried to take it as deep as we did and we ended up getting 380. That's just the way that we're playing at the moment and we can only adapt to the conditions that are in front of us.

Q. I know you didn't want a year off from international cricket, but do you think it's done you some good in some way?
DAVID WARNER: I feel a lot fresher. You don't get a year off, you hardly get a couple weeks off. I've worked hard on my own fitness -- take your mind away from the game, just the little things of being on time for busses, for aeroplanes, packing your bags, travelling a lot like, as you guys know as well, like, with the World Cup you're in and out of hotels. Just those basic things there. You just let your mind be at ease. And to have time at home as well with my family was awesome and I really enjoyed that.

Q. You talked about the mental approach in coming out in the opening. Is there any physical change in your game right now, I guess still coming off that injury as well? Has that changed anything and if so how?
DAVID WARNER: There's nothing there from an injury perspective. It's just more obviously the wickets. We played on sort of a nice green sort of wicket in Taunton. And then obviously one was dry here against Afghanistan; it's a little bit different. So, you're getting in different conditions. You just have to adapt to that.

For me it's about fluency in my game. And I've hit a lot of fielders, which is sort of got on my nerves a little bit. I'm sure with a bit of pace as well -- we've obviously got England coming up, they've got some bowlers who bowl over 150. With pace on the ball on to the bat as well it makes a big difference. So it's just all about having that fluency when you're out there.

Q. You've seen Usman bat for a long time now. Doesn't come across as an ugly left-hander or a stylish left-hander. How do you describe it watching from the other end?
DAVID WARNER: Usman is a very good cricket player. He's versatile. He can play any position. Today, seeing him out there and be very busy between wickets was great. We've played a lot of cricket together since we were young kids. He's very energetic when he gets out there.

And he's been criticized in the past for a few things, but at the end of the day he's a world-class cricket player. And I've got a lot of respect for him did a great job out there for us today.

Q. 16th ODI (indiscernible) tonight, you draw with Gilly. Amazing record. How do you expect to be remembered and how do you want to be remembered when your career is up?
DAVID WARNER: Just as an Australian cricket player. I'm just so grateful for being able to have the opportunity to play for Australia and to be along the lines -- be in the same sentence as Adam Gilchrist is fantastic and it's overwhelming.

He's a bit more of a dash than what I am at the top of the order. But he obviously holds his own with the gloves and with the bat. But for me, it's just about going out there and to give my best, to be honest, and that's all I want to be remembered for, is someone who gives 110 percent when I go out in the field and be myself.

Q. Obviously Bangladesh gave a fairly tough chase there. Do you think it's time that Cricket Australia invited Bangladesh over again for a series in Australia?
DAVID WARNER: That's probably a question you have to direct towards Kevin Robertson, the scheduling of all that. I think we do have a series against them back over in Bangladesh, I think, next year.

But at the end of the day, it's what we can only fit in the calendar and the schedule. There's a lot of cricket that goes on with IPL and other formats. So for me it's about concentrating on cricket, and the administrators work all that out for us.

Q. You just said that two more points for the team and you almost booked your spot in the final four. Given all what you've been through the last year, year and a half, Cricket Australia, what does that mean to you personally and the team, do you think?
DAVID WARNER: Look, it means a lot to us, but it means a lot to our country. That was obviously a dark year for Australian cricket. And we've just got to keep winning for our country, doing the best we can, put our best foot forward.

We just can't be complacent and comfortable. We've got to keep moving forward playing our best cricket. And that starts again come training in a couple days' time.

Q. You expressed a bit of disappointment after the Pakistan innings and getting 100 but then getting out quite quickly after. How good did it feel today getting to 160?
DAVID WARNER: It's always in the back of my mind. I wasn't striking at 100. I think I faced 120 balls before I got to 110 I think it was. It's always in the back of your mind. You look at the scoreboard, you've got 14, 15 overs to go.

And you've got to treat each ball as it comes, as I did, and from there try and accelerate a little bit and sort of bat smart, take those risks to the right areas.

There was a big breeze coming towards the grandstand this side. So try and work out who we're going to target. We knew with their bowlers as well, with Rubel and Mustafiz, we had to try and make the most -- before that was getting out of the power play.

The last four overs were sort of targeted before we got into the last power play. It's about trying to execute as much as you can.

Q. What do the centuries do for your Ashes confidence. And when you switch off from cricket, what's it like with a baby very close to arriving, how much does that affect your life?
DAVID WARNER: They're not going to be like that for the Ashes. I can guarantee you that. And if it does, it could be a long five days.

And obviously with a babe on the way in a couple of weeks, it's exciting for myself and my family. But my main focus is making sure that my wife is fine and she's comfortable. And obviously the team's perspective as well. Won't let that distract me from my goal, and that's to come out here and keep scoring as many runs as I can.

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