Warner warms to cast of crowd characters

For all the hijinks and low blows that Australia's re-constituted men's team expected to face during their 2019 Ashes tour, the third day of the opening Test was always going to deliver the benchmark.

Edgbaston, where the series opener was scheduled, is regarded as the most rollicking and raucous of Britain's Test venues that each convey a character as unique as the city in which they're located.

Or, in the case of London's Lord's and The Oval, the side of the River Thames on which they're sited.

In recent decades, Saturdays have also historically evolved into each match's informal 'fancy dress day', at which spirits in the public seating sections are invariably highest and the pantomime feel among the crowd is most overt.

So the chanting, the singing, and the costumes that were scattered throughout the few thousand seats of the Birmingham stadium's Hollies Stand as Australia took the field on a sunny Saturday morning surprised nobody.

The unexpected element arrived after lunch, by which time the spirit among most of that eclectic chorus was measurably higher, when David Warner was positioned in the outfield directly in front of the delighted mob.

As one of the three principal targets for the ditties and the disdain that flowed through the recent World Cup and has stepped up in the even more partisan atmosphere the Ashes carries, Warner knew what awaited well before he took up his post at deep midwicket.

Image Id: 3998859912784BC4B0F033475C0C4816 Image Caption: Those in the Hollies Stand welcomed the arrival of Warner in the deep // Getty

Though maybe not the finer detail that he quickly gleaned when afforded such a close vantage point.

While the tunes that had echoed across the verdant turf were familiar from the Test's first two days – "same old Aussies, always cheating" whenever an unsuccessful appeal is launched; "we saw you cry on the telly" when one of the recalled trio features in the game – the main songsters were demonstrably different.

Whether it was the 30 or so fully-frocked Catholic cardinals, the replica England football team clad in playing-away strip, the team of construction workers in high-visibility vests, the troupe wearing khaki safari suits (complete with pith helmets) or the handful of Fred Flintstones.

If not them, then attention fell on the quartet kitted out as bananas, the Bondi Beach lifeguards, the delegation of ancient Roman senators (who might simply have been ready early for a Saturday night toga party), the solitary soul who dressed as (and sang like) a canary, or the gang of mock-Mexicans who chased an oversized nappy-clad, Trump-figure in a geo-political role reversal.

Indeed, the only figures noticeably absent from such a contemporary take on current events was Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II (although a likeness had made a visitation to the Stand on Friday), and new British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson.

Perhaps because some truths are even beyond the reach of parody.

Regardless – or perhaps due to – the bizarre ensemble, which invariably included the usual array of bearded hipsters in full drag, Warner appeared to enjoy his interactions on the boundary rope, and actively engaged in the endless ribbing that he wore.

At one stage, he pulled the pockets of his pants inside out and extended his hands in a smiling show of transparency, to the delight of the throng that is regarded as being among the most voluble and parochial in world cricket.

Image Id: 5DF3F25EB3E947F391DB721D6F3D5777 Image Caption: Warner empties his pockets to a smiling Edgbaston crowd // Getty

At day's end, with the Test far more evenly balanced than most who departed the Hollies Stand amid a late afternoon rain shower, Australia fast bowler James Pattinson confirmed that Warner had embraced his role as the pantomime cast's pre-eminent villain.

Pattinson, who briefly lived in Yorkshire with his family when aged six before they returned to Australia, knows the idiosyncrasies of English crowds almost as well as he knows Warner.

"The good thing with Davey is he's just the same person, whether he's going well or not," Pattinson said after Warner was dismissed in the day's final session, for his second single-figure score of the Test.

"He's always bubbly around the team, he's always helping out, that's the great thing about him.

"And with everything that's gone on with the crowd, he seems to handle it pretty fine and that's the kind of person he is.

"He's all for the team, whether he gets runs or he doesn't he's always up and about."

Image Id: F359EEF7088F45DDA5C46D79406DA5EE Image Caption: The crowd grew in voice as the day wore on // Getty

As a fast bowler who, as accepted custom dictates, takes his rest between overs and spells in the deep where he's closest to the fans, Pattinson admitted there were times on Saturday "when the crowd was going crazy" that he had to pinch himself.

That wasn't because of the banter flying his way, but because the atmosphere being generated by the singing and the cheering and the mocking and the rocking re-ignited within him the thrill of Test cricket, a surge he'd missed during his three-year injury lay-off.

And if the interactions with the crowd were (largely) good natured, so too have been the relationship between players from the historic Ashes rivals.

In large part, that's because in the current era of global T20 competitions that bring together players from disparate backgrounds in a shared dressing room, partisan enmities find little room to flourish.

As was shown late on Saturday when Steve Smith, another to cop endless taunting from the British crowds, was struck a nasty blow to the batting helmet by England allrounder Ben Stokes.

The pair recently played together for the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League, and Stokes' genuine concern for Smith's wellbeing was obvious until it became clear his teammate-turned-foe was fit to continue batting.

"I'd like to think that everyone gets along with each other, and no(one) really has enemies in life," said Pattinson, who has developed a strong friendship with England quick and Nottinghamshire teammate Stuart Broad.

"In the end we're all human beings, we all want to get along.

"When you're out there we do play it tough but there's always time for a bit of a joke and a bit of a smile.

"I think sometimes people can take things a bit too seriously and forget we're playing a game that we love, and so are the opposition.

"We play it hard, we play to win the game but you want to do it with a smile on your face."

2019 Qantas Ashes Tour of England

Australia squad: Tim Paine (c), Cameron Bancroft, Pat Cummins, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Peter Siddle, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, David Warner.

England squad: Joe Root (c), Moeen Ali, Jimmy Anderson, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes (vc), Olly Stone, Chris Woakes.

First Test: August 1-5,Edgbaston

Tour match: Australians v Worcestershire, August 7-9

Second Test: August 14-18,Lord's

Third Test: August 22-26, Headingley

Tour match: Australians v Derbyshire, August 29-31

Fourth Test: September 4-8, Old Trafford

Fifth Test: September 12-16, The Oval