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'Carefree' Warner detects fear in English eyes
Irrepressible Australian opener David Warner said he detected fear in the eyes of the English after brushing aside a troubled year off the field with a brilliant century on it in the first Ashes Test at the Gabba on Saturday.
Warner scored 124 and combined with his captain Michael Clarke in a third wicket partnership of 158 runs to help his country take a firm grip on the conTest and leave England needing to score a record 561 runs in their fourth innings for victory.
After paying credit to his bowlers for skittling England for 136 on Friday, Warner laid out a somewhat unsophisticated gameplan for how they would go about securing Australia's first Test victory in 10 matches over the next two days.
"We'll take the third wicket tomorrow morning and hopefully we take the rest after that," he told reporters.
"Our bowlers are bowling fast at the moment. England are on the back foot. It does look like they've got scared eyes at the moment.
"The boys are on a high at the moment but we have to get the job done and come out tomorrow and take eight wickets. It will be massive to get a 1-0 lead in the five-Test series."
'It's about me trying my best for the team'
The 27-year-old missed the first two Tests in the opening Ashes series of the year, which Australia lost 3-0, after punching England batsman Joe Root and has also been disciplined for a Twitter rant against a couple of journalists.
It was off Root's bowling that he secured his fourth Test century, and first against the English, but Warner was not interested in any discussions about redemption.
"I'm just going about my business the way I have to score runs for the team," he said.
"And that's what I have to do. It's not about me getting the public perception back or anything, it's about me trying my best for the team, and us trying to be in position to win games."
Typical Warner innings
It was not a typical Warner innings in that he struggled to get on strike initially as England's bowlers tried to get Stuart Broad bowling the short stuff at Clarke, who had fallen victim to the England paceman six times in his last six Tests.
"I felt highly respected there, giving me the one. Obviously they wanted Broady fresh and wanted him to go probably hard at Michael," Warner laughed.
"And Michael counteracted that and scored an almost run-a-ball hundred.
"Credit to Michael, the way he played. He's always going to take it on, and if it's not there, he'll leave it. And that's what he did today, and led from the front."
'He's an attacking player'
Warner had signalled his intentions at the Gabba by hooking the first ball he faced in the match, a risk England fast bowler James Anderson was not at all surprised to see the brash Sydneysider take.
"That's just the sort of player he is, he's an attacking player and today was almost perfect for someone like that, he could go out there almost carefree and take the attack to the bowlers," Anderson said.