'That's not the shot you want to be playing in the first 20 minutes of a Test' - Mark Waugh slams David Warner

David Warner’s return to Test cricket lasted just 8 balls. In a bid to assert himself on the bowlers early, the left-hander tried to play a drive very early in his innings, the cherry took the outside edge of his willow, and Cheteshwar Pujara pouched the offering at slip. Warner’s return was a highly anticipated one as far as the Aussies are concerned, but it turned out to be a disappointment.

One thing that has plagued the hosts right through the Test series has been the fact that they have not been able to put on a solid partnership at the top of the order. And now, the trend has continued on Day One of the Sydney Test as well, with the opening batsmen putting on a meager 6 runs on the board.

Former batsman and batting great Mark Waugh tore into Warner stating that it was not a shot that a batsman was expected to play in the first 20 minutes of a Test match. Waugh also termed it as a ‘loose’ shot, and said that the length was not the one that warranted a drive.

“That’s just a loose shot. That’s not the shot you want to be playing in the first 20 minutes of a Test match. You’re driving on the up, its not there to drive and it’s wide as well and you’re throwing your hands at it,” said Waugh in a chat with Fox Cricket.

Just an impatient shot: Mark Waugh

Waugh further termed it like an impatient shot and stated that maybe it was the rush of blood early on that made Warner lose his wicket and it was the urge to get some quick runs on the board.

“Even if his groin was okay, he would have had to take an almighty step to get even close to that delivery. Just an impatient shot really and maybe trying to get runs on the board quickly,” added Waugh.

‘Mr. Cricket’, Michael Hussey also expressed his concerns about Warner’s fitness, stating that it was surely not a great sign that Warner was seen laboring on the field.

“He was running through, he’s certainly labouring a little bit, and its not the David Warner we are used to seeing. He certainly is not even close to 100 percent fit. It’s not a great sign,” said Hussey to Fox Cricket.

At the time of writing, Australia’s scorecard reads 93/1, after 31 overs with debutant Will Pucovski and Marnus Labuschagne fighting hard for the hosts.