South Africa's batsmen were too easily distracted during the first Test
and would do well to improve their concentration if they wish to bat
for longer periods in Adelaide, according to Australia's opener David Warner.
Seldom short of a word to his opponents, Warner said Australia's players
were tired of the South Africans pulling away before the ball was
bowled in Brisbane. It was a saga that reached an angry climax when
James Pattinson and Graeme Smith exchanged words after South Africa's
captain backed off - understandably - when a bird flew across his
eye-line with the bowler about to deliver. Warner thinks the issue of
movement around the sight-screen had been overplayed.
"I don't think you saw any of our players stop once because of guys
walking behind the sight screen," Warner said. "I don't know how you can
be that distracted or what they're looking at or what they're seeing.
They've got to try and take those little distractions out of their mind
because that could be something that's detracting from their game and
preventing them from staying out there for longer periods.
"If the guy's in the fourth tier at the MCG and you see someone move,
you're looking way too much and you're too distracted. The other day AB
de Villiers played a ball when the sight-screen was still on the
advertising board, so if he's just concentrating on the specifics of the
bowler then that's fantastic. But someone is moving away because a guy
is peaking his head behind the sight screen - if you're picking those
little things up I think you're not watching the bowler hard enough."
Warner himself had reason to wonder about his powers of focus and
concentration after his innings on a friendly Gabba wicket ended after
only 16 minutes, 15 deliveries and four runs. A cheap dismissal, edging
Dale Steyn, seemed the logical conclusion to a preparation that featured
plenty of time on the bench, with Delhi Daredevils in the Champions
League, and only one first-class match
since April. Warner admitted he had sought the counsel of Michael
Clarke, Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey about finding focus and purpose
as a cricketer, when a relentless schedule and his commitments as a T20
commodity detract from that end.
"[To play] three forms, as I've found out in the last 12-18 months,
[has] been mad, it's been hectic. I've thoroughly enjoyed it, but now I
start respecting the guys who've played for the last 10 years," Warner
said. "I talk to guys like Ricky and Michael and Huss about how they
mentally get through it all, and they say to us you've just got to try
to find some time off somewhere in the year to take your mind off
cricket. Any week you get off you try to spend it at home or just doing
the little things you can to help cricket in Australia."
Warner watched his opening partner Ed Cowan closely during the Brisbane
Test, admiring his concentration and balance between attack and defence.
"Ed leaves a lot of balls that I'm probably playing at and that's what
I'm learning up the other end. He probably leaves a couple of good
length balls when I'm fending at them and shouldn't have to," Warner
said. "It gives me another role to think about as well. You talk about
respecting some good balls, and some of those good balls I can probably
take on and would take on, but I have to start respecting my wicket a
little bit more, and being a bit more consistent.
"You can hit endless amounts of balls and then, like the other day, come
out and nick one. But you train for that and you've got to try and
switch your mind to it. You can't go back to the change room and think
'this is crap, I prepared so well, how do I just nick one all of a
sudden'? You can't let that get you down."
Australia are expected to name an unchanged squad for the second Test in
Adelaide. The only variable is whether Shane Watson is added as a 13th
member of the team pending his fitness.
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