Prolific Warner can get better: Waugh

Former Australia batsman and current Cricket Australia selector Mark Waugh believes dual Allan Border medallist David Warner is yet to reach his peak.

Warner collected Australian cricket’s highest individual honour for a second consecutive year at Star Sydney on Monday night, edging out skipper Steve Smith and pacemen Mitchell Starc.

The 30-year-old produced a record-breaking year in ODI cricket, plundering seven centuries during the voting period – spanning early January 2016 to 7 January this year – to set a new record for an Australia batsman in 50-over internationals.

Warner, by his lofty standards, experienced a lean period in the Test arena and went almost 12 months without a century before hammering tons against Pakistan at the MCG and SCG either side of the new year.

The opening batsman averages 49.16 in Tests, 43.29 in ODIs and 28.10 in T20Is and has 30 centuries to his name at the top level.

He became the fourth player – joining Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke and Shane Watson – to win the Allan Border Medal more than once and also collected the ODI prize.

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But in an ominous warning for Warner’s opposition bowlers, Waugh declared the belligerent left-hander was capable of reaching new heights.

“His record’s unbelievable. He is sitting right up there with the best in the world at the moment,” Waugh said on Melbourne radio station SEN.

“Obviously as an Australian player over the years, he’s probably going to end up right at the top of the tree there as well.

“He just goes from strength to strength.

“I think since he was named vice-captain, he’s even been a better player. He’s improving every year.

“I think his game’s not even at his top yet. I think he’s still going to get better.”

Waugh, who played 128 Tests, said Warner could become “more consistent” and “tighten up his technique in certain areas”.

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“I think every player can even get better,” Waugh said.

“He’s proven the last little bit in one-day cricket, where he’s scored five hundreds, that that’s the sort of level he could be at regularly.”

Warner was named as Smith’s deputy for Test and ODI cricket in August 2015 following Clarke’s retirement.

He has since scored more runs than any other batsman in the world across the three formats, with his tally of 3659 putting him ahead of Smith (3611), India maestro Virat Kohli (3396), England’s Joe Root (3300) and New Zealand’s Kane Williamson (3054).

Warner has averaged 53.02 in international matches since his elevation, hammering 14 centuries and 12 fifties at an overall strike rate of 98.07.

Warner and Smith will lock horns with Kohli during No.2 ranked Australia’s four-Test series against top-ranked India, which starts in Pune on February 23.