'More of a mental battle than technical' - Ricky Ponting on David Warner's prolonged struggles against Stuart Broad

David Warner’s form is a huge matter of discussion in the ongoing Ashes as the southpaw is once again struggling against veteran pacer Stuart Broad. He has managed to score only 141 runs in six innings so far, and thus, his future in the longest format of the game looks bleak at the moment. Broad, meanwhile, has dismissed him thrice in the series and 17 times overall and thus, as per former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting, Warner’s battle has now become a mental affair.

The 48-year-old revealed that there has been a lot of chat regarding Warner’s form in the last few days, and he believes that there would not have been much noise if was not for Broad. However, he opines that the team should stick with the Paddington-born cricketer as he expects him to get better.

“I know there's been a lot of chat the last couple of days since the end of Headingley and it's more the fact that it's Broad that's getting him out, I think. I think if it was anybody else, the noise probably wouldn't be quite as loud, but the fact that he struggled to get through the opening spells of Broad a few times in this series again, makes it a little bit more of a worry," Ponting told in the latest episode of The ICC Review.

“When someone's got you out 17 times, it does become as much a mental or probably more of a mental battle than it does a technical battle. But just thinking about the series, I'd be inclined to stick with David Warner,” he added.

Notably, Australian management can turn to Marcus Harris if they plan to drop Warner from the remaining two Tests. Ahead of the series, chief selector George Bailey was very optimistic about Harris and thus, the team can decide to try him out. However, Warner has the much-needed experience as the visitors will be desperate to retain the urn.