'The way he played is exactly what we want' - Andrew McDonald positive about David Warner ahead of Ashes

Australia couldn’t have asked for a better preparation for the Ashes 2023 than winning the World Test Championship final 2023 by defeating India by 209 runs. The victory marks a perfect beginning for the long summer ahead where they will be locking horns with their oldest rivals, England, in the Ashes from June 16.

Among the many positives for Australia during the WTC Final 2023, David Warner’s 43-run knock in the first innings impressed head coach Andrew McDonald the most. The Australian opener struggled big time during his last visit to England in the 2019 Ashes, when Stuart Broad became his nemesis and dismissed him seven times out of ten innings. Speaking about Warner’s performance in the WTC final, McDonald said that he was impressed with the way he moved in the first innings.

"I thought Davey moved well in the first innings. He got strangled down the leg side. You look at that, and you say 'a little bit of luck there and potentially that's a bigger score'. But the way he moved, the way he played is exactly what we want,” McDonald was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au.

During the last Ashes in England, Warner could only manage to score 95 runs in ten innings at an average of 9.50, with one fifty to his name. The southpaw has not been in the best of forms since 2021, averaging 29. Warner, who has just one 50-plus score in his last 17 innings, recently expressed his desire of retiring from Tests in January 2024 in Sydney.

However, if the 36-year-old has another horrible run in England during the Ashes, he is unlikely to get more chances in the format. Meanwhile, further talking about the opener’s woes in England, McDonald said that the batters these days are not focused on surviving but more on scoring runs. Hence, the clarity in the head is more important to succeed over the course of five Tests.

Survival doesn't come into most batters' minds these days: Andrew McDonald

"I don't think survival comes into most batters' minds these days. It's more about how you're going to score runs and what your method is going to be. Last Ashes series it was on average 2-20, so they're going to be challenged again here. But as long as they are clear in the method, that's the way to get success over five Test matches,” McDonald further said.

Australia have not won the Ashes in England since 2001 and managed to draw their last series in 2019. The Pat Cummins-led side has an upper hand over England as they have retained the Ashes since 2017. Hence, after being crowned Champions of WTC, Australia will be eager to end their Ashes win drought in England.