Warner delivers as rival batting groups join forces

As if Australia's meticulously planned pre-Ashes warm-up game was not sufficiently unique, batters from the opposing teams met together as one on Wednesday morning to workshop how best to score runs against daunting odds.

Unified by the common enemies of a hostile pitch, unrelenting pressure exerted by a full roster of Test standard bowlers, and an England opposition looming less than a week away, the notional rivals pooled their know-how and goodwill to find some answers.

The combined choir formed in front of the Ageas Bowl's pavilion that had witnessed the fall of 17 wickets at less than a dozen runs apiece on Tuesday, an hour or so before play was to resume on day two in conditions that had changed little.

Initially, the group was addressed by Graeme Hick in his over-arching role as the national men's team's batting coach rather than his partisan position in charge of the eponymous team battling Brad Haddin's XII in this intra-squad practice match.

As the cream of Australia's batting talent listened intently while gathered on the grass beneath the morning sun heralding a mid-week heatwave, the quorum also heard from ex-Test captain Steve Waugh in his guise as mentor to the Ashes squad that will be named on Friday.

Finally, several members of the dozen-strong batting collective including incumbent Test number three Usman Khawaja and returning opener David Warner shared their thoughts on the topic at hand.

Which, despite evidence proffered by a scoreboard that showed only one specialist batter – Queensland's Marnus Labuschagne – had posted a score above 30 on a torrid opening day, was not admonishment for under-performance.

Nor was the theme a collective venting of frustration against a playing surface that has been prepared in the best of faith by a host ground staff beset by vagaries including the hot, dry spell in England's south that was broken only by a day of unstinting rain last Friday that further compromised pitch preparation.

Rather, as Warner explained at the close of day two in which he became the only batter thus far to post a half-century, it was to share wisdom on how best to tackle the immediate challenge posed in Southampton, and the broader threat of their Ashes foes.

"It was just more about assessing how we all went and how we felt," Warner explained after a further 15 wickets fell for 229 runs on the second day of the game in which Hick's team needs a further 121 runs to win with eight wickets available.

"People just throwing up some ideas, and there were probably three or four of us who spoke about what our plans were and how we were trying to score on that wicket.

"We simply broke it down to ... you had to be scrappy, you had to move your feet, commit forward or commit back and you saw a couple of lbws there with guys caught on the crease.

"They're things that we were speaking about not to try and do, and we've just got to keep working harder at that because it's challenging on a wicket like that.

"It's hard to commit forward, especially when I got one (searing delivery from Mitchell Marsh) go over my head.

"Then I went to drive one (that held up) and I could've been caught at gully.

"They're the things that are always in your mind on a wicket like that, but you've just got to remain positive."

So difficult has batting proved on the pitch that initially sported a carpet of live grass but is now revealing its dry, dusty underlay, none among the most accomplished players in the Australia first-class set-up have looked at ease.

At times, the likes of Labuschagne, Marsh with his long forward stride, Will Pucovski through deft touch, Alex Carey using his flair for innovation and Cameron Bancroft on the back of his tight defence, have survived albeit without flourishing.

But none have melded the mental challenge posed by balls delivered at pace that could swing, seam, leap or skid (depending on where they pitched on the problematic surface) with the technical acumen needed to counter them better than Warner.

His 94-ball innings of 58 today was a study of discipline, courage and shot selection until he second-guessed himself and tried to abandon a proposed pull-shot mid-swing, only to spoon a catch to mid-on.

The frustration he felt at surrendering his wicket after such a relentless battle was mitigated only by the knowledge that – unlike most long-form innings – there would be no opportunity to 'cash in' on his diligent occupation given the merciless nature of the pitch and the opposition attack.

Warner credits his enforced return to grade cricket in Sydney last summer for helping him discover the patience needed to get through those times when he's unable to play the game on his preferred terms.

In his earlier incarnation, his method of counter-attack would have been precisely that – taking the game to the bowlers and forcing them to reconsider their plans.

But he admits to being a more mellow soul, who likes to don earphones while training to create a sense of ambient calm, and to think rather than bludgeon his way through tough circumstances such as those that have arisen over the past two days.

"Playing grade cricket at home helped me a lot with patience and having to wait to score," Warner said.

"The fields they set were very obscure, and there was no pace on the ball.

"It made me wait for the ball and I had to scrap for those runs … and I really enjoyed that.

"I've sort of adapted that out here (today) and it was quite challenging.

"I had to find a way.

"You won't get any practice better than this leading in to that first Test."

2019 Qantas Ashes Tour of England

Tour match: Hick XII v Haddin XII, July 23-26

First Test: Edgbaston, August 1-5

Tour match: Australians v Worcestershire, August 7-9

Second Test: Lord's, August 14-18

Third Test: Headingley, August 22-26

Tour match: Australians v Derbyshire, August 29-31

Fourth Test: Old Trafford, September 4-8

Fifth Test: The Oval, September 12-16