No Bull: Reformed Warner earns new nickname

David Warner says he's no longer ‘The Bull’ or ‘The Reverend’ of the Australian team, but rather just himself after learning some lessons during his year-long ban from the game.

Warner's personality has attracted almost as much attention as his batting since his Test debut in 2011.

For so long an aggressive force in the field and with the bat, Warner earned the moniker The Bull for the way he went at opposition teams.

Then came the nickname The Reverend, befitting a player who was seen to have matured since becoming a father, and who consciously toned down his aggression on the field after a series is missteps.

And after his infamous year-long ban, Warner says he’s a different man again.

After six games of this World Cup, he is yet to be involved in any controversial incident and his doing his talking with the bat, namely with his second century of the tournament against Bangladesh on Thursday.

So much so, he claims he has a new nickname from his teammates – Hum-Bull.

"I think I was on a good behaviour bond for two years, I think it was, if that's what you want to call it, with the ICC," Warner said of his time as The Reverend.

"And I couldn't really do anything on the field and I'm at that point as well at the moment.

"It's a different game. We've played so much cricket over the last 12 months with a lot of different people, especially the Bangladesh guys. Getting to know a lot of them as well has been great.

“It just opens your eyes to a new world. It's just normal me now."

With the bat, he's making an impact too.

Just weeks into his return from the 12-month international ban, he is topping the run-scoring charts at the World Cup with 447 at 89.40.

The century at Trent Bridge marked the 16th of his career, drawing him equal with Adam Gilchrist in third spot on the all-time list for Australia.

A frank Warner admitted in an on-field interview he was "trying to make up for that year" away following the ball-tampering scandal.

"It's just more runs that you can miss out on," Warner explained later.

"For me it's about going out there and putting my best foot forward for the team and trying to score as many runs as I can.

"To make up for all the runs that I've missed out on and for the team."

As has been his way during the tournament, Warner started his innings relatively slowly - his hundred coming off 110 balls - before exploding into action with his final 66 runs from just 37 deliveries.

By the time of his dismissal, he looked on track to become the first Australian male to hit a double century in an ODI.

"I don't mean to go out there and bat slow," Warner said. "I've tried to get a calculation how many fielders I've hit in the first 10 (overs).

"I got frustrated against India. I got frustrated against Afghanistan. And then today, Finchy kept telling me to hang in there and bat deep and bat time.

"And that was in like the eighth or ninth over. Because it's generally not my game to stick there, and I usually try and go after it a little bit.

"Must be a bit more maturity, I think."

2019 World Cup

Australia's squad: Aaron Finch (c), Jason Behrendorff, Alex Carey (wk), Nathan Coulter-Nile, Pat Cummins, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa

June 1: Australia beat Afghanistan by seven wickets

June 6: Australia beat West Indies by 15 runs

June 9: Australia lost to India by 36 runs

June 12: Australia beat Pakistan by 41 runs

June 15: Australia beat Sri Lanka by 87 runs

June 20: Australia beat Bangladesh by 48 runs

June 25: England v Australia, Lord's

June 29: New Zealand v Australia, Lord's (D/N)

July 6: Australia v South Africa, Old Trafford (D/N)

July 9: Semi-Final 1, Old Trafford

July 11: Semi-Final 2, Edgbaston

July 14: Final, Lord's

Sync Australia's World Cup schedule to your calendar HERE

For a full list of all World Cup fixtures, click HERE