Warner preaches patience in Kandy

So ingrained has the mantra of ‘patience’ become among Australia’s batters heading into the three-Test series against Sri Lanka that even free-scoring opener David Warner is preparing himself for a battle of attrition.

Since arriving in the tropical island nation two weeks ago, the Australians have demanded discipline from their batting group having identified the perils of forcing the pace as a key reason for their poor recent record in subcontinent conditions.

The preference for pushing hard at the ball that is second nature to players raised on fast, bouncy Australian pitches has proved self-destructive when confronted by conditions where the ball stays low and bowlers do not readily come on to the bat.

Of particular focus for the tourists during their training sessions and practice fixtures in steamy Colombo before they relocated to the hill country of Kandy for the opening Test starting Tuesday has been the additional mental discipline required to begin an innings against Sri Lanka’s spinners.

And while Warner did not play a role in the warm-up games due to his ongoing recovery from a broken left index finger sustained during the recent ODI series in the Caribbean, he is singing in full voice from that song sheet even though he has built his career and reputation on out-and-out aggression. 

Although he concedes that he’s not about to embrace the role of a full neo-conservative when it comes to batting.

Quick Single: Aussies aim to heap pressure on Mathews

"You’ve got to be patient,” Warner said ahead of Australia’s major pre-Test training session at Pallekele Stadium where he batted against the seamers in the nets to dispel doubts over his fitness for the series opener.

"You’ve got to rotate the strike.

"Your patience comes with hitting your four-balls, your boundary balls.

"They’re the ones you’ve got to really wait on.

"That’s what we’re talking about with patience in this game, especially over here (in subcontinental conditions).

"The challenge for us is about batting long periods of time.

"You’ve got to be able to bat well into the next day and that’s the focus for us.

"If I have to bat for a day or a day-and-a-half, I go out there and I try to do that. But the element of my game is to try to score runs.

"I try to apply pressure on the bowlers and that has always been my game plan. That’s what I always set out to do and I probably won’t change that."

Quick Single: Mathews up for the fight against Australia

Any thoughts that Sri Lanka’s pitches might offer a bit more grass and pace than those traditionally found on the other side of the Palk Strait in India were effectively dispelled when the home team’s fast bowling stocks dwindled ever thinner during their recent series in the UK.

With left-arm spinner Rangana Herath looming as Sri Lanka’s most reliable and potent bowling threat, the Australians are expecting pitches denuded of grass and receptive of spin, most notably in Galle where the second Test begins early next month.

Which means Warner, Australia’s vice-captain who had his first experience as a Test squad member when he flew to Sri Lanka in 2011 as an interim replacement for Ricky Ponting who had returned home for the birth of his child, is expecting a battle of attrition.

With stamina likely to play as significant a role as skill.

"Whoever is the fittest team will probably win these games," he said.

"You’re going to have to be prepared for some boring fields.

"Both teams are going to use that.

"You’re going to have your sweepers out there (in the deep), especially (against) the spin … so you have to be prepared to get your runs in ones and twos.

"It can be like that in these conditions.

"Unless you’re going to blast them out of the park with the bat or your quicks somehow manage to go through them on low tracks, it is going to be a big grind."