Australian opener David Warner has emphasised on the importance of having an “anchor” in the squad on the slow pitches in the upcoming 2024 T20 World Cup which will be played in the West Indies and the United States from June 1.
Warner, who won the 2021 T20 World Cup with the Aussies, stated that the slow pitches in the West Indies will require an anchor as hitting the ball all the time wouldn’t be an option.
The 37-year-old talked about his experience of playing the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) where the pitches are favourable for the spinners and how tiring it is to play in those conditions.
"They (pitches in West Indies) can be slower and they're gonna turn a bit. I don't think they're going to be as compact as they are here [During IPL]. You know, I've played a lot of cricket over there. I've played in the CPL. The wickets tend to get a little bit lower and slower," Warner said in the press conference.
"Even when we played there in the 2010 World Cup, the pitches there weren't high-scoring. That's when you did need an anchor. Someone like Mike Hussey came out and scored runs for us. He had to come and sort of knock it around," Warner said recalling the 2010 World Cup where Australia lost to England in the final.
Warner then added that the match timings in the Caribbean would be of utmost importance. He also stated that matches played during the day would provide great assistance to the bowlers.
"It's gonna be completely different there. Add the natural elements as well. There's going to be predominantly day games. I think because of the timing. So that plays a big a big factor," Warner added.
"So, the ball definitely will not be swinging like here at least in India. Here [in India] for the first four or five overs, the ball can swing and could be challenging so. The pitches in the Caribbean being dry, the ball will get roughed up and it's going to spin.”
- David Warner
