However along with his milestone match simply two days away, he has vowed to play just like the Warner of previous as he searches for that elusive Take a look at century.
“I do know once I’m at my finest, I am taking the bowlers on,” he stated on Saturday. “It goes nicely and it flows with the workforce and the man on the different finish. Now I’ve in all probability gone a bit extra accountable and attempting to place the workforce into an excellent place with out taking part in a bit rash.
“If something I can in all probability be a bit extra aggressive and return to the older me, take them on a bit of bit extra. However I feel that is also dictated from what wickets you might be getting.
“You do not need to have a dig on the curators, however the final two years our wickets have been inexperienced. If I am going on the market play a canopy drive and nick one, you guys [the media] may have a feeding frenzy.
“However now I am in good positions and I am nicking off, that is the character of the beast. This is perhaps a wicket the place I can exit and play just like the previous me. So you must adapt to these situations that is what I have been doing the final 18 months.”
Warner’s assertion that he has been extra circumspect is clear in his strike-rate over the past three years. It has dipped to 57.21 in comparison with his staggering profession price of 71.18. Much more regarding although is the runs. In his final 15 Assessments and 27 innings he has averaged simply 26.07 with solely 4 half-centuries. His numbers are even leaner in 2022. He has not scored a half-century in his final 10 Take a look at innings.
Warner’s declare that he must be extra aggressive does not fairly stack up in opposition to a few of his dismissals within the West Indies sequence the place he was out driving aggressively away from his physique in three of his 4 innings. However he claims he has been out of luck relatively than out of shape from both a technical or decision-making standpoint.
“You have a look at a few of the chop-ons and I have been in nice positions once I’ve been nicked off,” Warner stated. “So there’s nothing you possibly can truly do about that. That is what occurs within the recreation of cricket, it ebbs and flows.
“It’s about making runs. You are by no means out of shape. They are not the phrases that I take advantage of and so they’re undoubtedly not utilized in our change rooms. It is about [being] out of runs. And for me, I’ve bought these begins however I maintain having a bit of little bit of misfortune however on the finish of the day it comes round and when it comes round it comes round quick.”
Warner is hopeful it could possibly come thick and quick on Boxing Day in opposition to a well-recognized foe. In celebrating his one hundredth Take a look at this week he has been reminded of a few of his nice innings in opposition to South Africa, together with his extraordinary 2014 tour that yielded three centuries in opposition to a world-class assault.
Whereas South Africa’s present assault hopes they’ve inflicted some psychological scarring on Warner in Brisbane, he has no such fears.
“I feel in the event you have a look at the assaults that I’ve confronted over my profession, I get up every single day going into the nets dealing with one of the best assault on the earth,” Warner stated.
“I’ve confronted guys that bowl 145kph each coaching session. So it is not completely different for me. Am I scared stepping into these nets? 100% I am scared. Going into the nets and dealing with these guys for the final decade has been a problem in itself.
“However going on the market and figuring out that I’ve put numbers on the board in opposition to a few of the nice assaults that South Africa has produced, they stick with me once I go on the market. You talk about Cape City [2014], that was in all probability my finest complete batting efficiency from the batting perspective and a number of good issues occurred to me once I performed in opposition to the South African assault.
“For me, it is about as I stated, come out right here with a optimistic mindset and hopefully I will maintain replicating that.”
Alex Malcolm is an Affiliate Editor at ESPNcricinfo