'It was the first time I've been here and not got abused' - David Warner opens up after first T20I against England

Australian star batsman David Warner has always been at the receiving end of the world’s jeering ever since his name popped in the infamous ball-tampering scandal in South Africa in 2018. He has been subjected to mistreatment by the crowd at various venues so far, and it happened the same way last year in England during the World Cup. Warner was in the same spot even during the subsequent Ashes series, but for now, the batsman has experienced something different.

The 33-year-old felt ‘bizarre’ playing in front of the empty stands during the first T20I against England and said that it was the first time he wasn’t ‘abused’ by hostile England fans. It was a different experience all-together as he felt fine playing the first T20I because there was no crowd present at all at the Rose Bowl due to the bio-secure bubble. It was Kangaroo’s first competitive match after around six months.

“It was the first time I’ve been here (England) and not got abused. It was quite nice!,” said Warner as quoted by The New Indian Express.

We’re always up for international cricket : Warner

As per Warner, the visitors, who lost to the Englishmen by two runs, lauded the hosts for their immaculate bowling. When Warner was asked how did the game feel like with arch-rivals without having any fans, he said, “It was a bit bizarre. You get that up and going (from the crowd). That’s why we love playing home and away.

“There’s home advantage and away advantage. But we’re always up for international cricket. We’re just grateful to be back playing and want to make the most of that.”

The southpaw stated that the hosts were in a better position, and they bowled exceptionally well towards the end. He further said that inability to rotate strikes properly and hit big shots in middle overs played an instrumental role in their loss.

“Towards the end, they (England) bowled exceptionally well, they knocked us over quite comprehensively. I think we just have to try to be a little bit smarter and work out how we’re going to hit our boundaries,” concluded Warner.