AUSTRALIAN David Warner revealed yesterday that he expects to play his second first-class game during his brief stay with Durham.
The 22-year-old lefthander, who has played once for New South Wales, believes he might be required for next week’s championship game at Edgbaston and said: “I’m definitely playing in the one starting on June 30.”
That may not be the way Durham see it as the visit of division one’s bottom club Worcestershire is a match they will target as an essential victory.
Unless there are injuries, it will not be the time to hand first-class experience to a man signed as a Twenty20 specialist.
The whole timing of Warner’s visit has been thrown awry by his involvement with the Australian squad for the World T20 Championship.
They insisted he joined up with them for their preparations, ruling him out of playing in any of Durham’s first six T20 games, and now he has been left kicking his heels for two weeks by the Aussies’ early exit.
“It was disappointing to go out,” he said. “We have only been playing it for two years and we will have to look and see how we can improve.”
Having reached the Indian Premier League semi-finals with Delhi Daredevils, Warner admitted he could make a comfortable living just from playing the short form of the game.
But he said: “I don’t want to be pigeon-holed as a oneday player. Considering Chris Gayle is the West Indies’ captain it was disappointing to hear him say he wasn’t bothered about Test cricket.
“You would never hear an Australian say that.
“There’s a lot of money to be made it T20, but everyone’s goal is to play Test cricket.”
Warner said he had spoken to England’s Twenty20 captain Paul Collingwood and been told he would fit in well at Riverside.
“He said they are all good lads and like to play their cricket hard, which is what I like to do.
“If we can win the four Twenty20 games coming up we should qualify for the quarter-finals, and I’ll be available for those.”
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