'Like my old man': Warner reveals key influence

David Warner has revealed the 'father figure' role former Australia captain Ricky Ponting played for him during the World Cup, as the opening batsman made his return from a 12-month suspension following the ball-tampering scandal.

Warner was a much-maligned figure through a highly-publicised four-month stint in the United Kingdom this year, during which he played a starring role for Australia at the World Cup before enduring a career nadir with a return of 95 runs in five Ashes Tests.

In Ponting, who came into the Australian camp in an official capacity as an assistant coach to Justin Langer throughout the World Cup, the 33-year-old found a valuable ally. And his shared wisdom, Warner believes, played a significant role in a run of form that propelled him to second on the tournament's run-scorers list with 647 at 71.88, including three hundreds.

"It was fantastic having Ricky there, he was like my old man," Warner told cricket.com.au in Brisbane on Saturday.

"He was always checking in and I think we had breakfast, lunch and dinner together, amongst the golf trips we had.

"You look at his achievements as a cricketer – most successful captain, most successful (Australian) batsman – his knowledge of the game is ridiculous, so why wouldn't I hang out with a great like him and try to absorb all the knowledge he's got?

"He helped me a lot through (the World Cup). It was a tough period for me coming back into the Australian colours and getting back in the groove of playing cricket again, especially in England.

"I tried to be a sponge off him and it worked a treat.

"I keep in touch with him all the time, as much as I can."

Ponting is one of cricket's most highly-respected figures but the 168-Test legend was not spared the ire of the public at different stages through his near two-decade career at international level. In the 2009 Ashes in England, he was booed by crowds incessantly, and the experience doubtless afforded him some empathy for Warner's situation, while also allowing him to lend counsel to his former teammate.

"I knew it was going to be hard for him coming back into international cricket," Ponting told cricket.com.au on Friday.

"I knew the crowds were going to be against him and (Steve Smith).

"I've got to know Davey really well over the years. It was good to spend the time with him, talk a lot about batting, and I got a really good understanding of the way he goes about his cricket and what that's developed into from when I retired.

"He's a competitor. He's a winner – he's got that attitude about him. He's the sort of bloke you want to play with, I've said that right from the start. I would've loved to have played more with him when I was playing well.

"That's one thing the public probably don't understand, or don't see that side with Davey.

“He hasn't helped himself, probably, along the way with a lot of that stuff.

“But I'm sure there'd be a lot of his teammates that, in the heat of the battle, they'd want him on their side.

"You want a team full of those guys. You think about some of my closest mates from the game – Langer and Hayden, and Gilly, McGrath and Warne – they're exactly the same; when things get tough and tight you want those blokes in your corner, and Davey's certainly one of those."

Domain Test Series v Pakistan

Australia squad: Tim Paine (c), Cameron Bancroft, Joe Burns, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, David Warner

Pakistan squad: Azhar Ali (c), Abid Ali, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Haris Sohail, Imam-ul-Haq, Imran Khan Snr, Iftikhar Ahmed, Kashif Bhatti, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Musa Khan, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood, Yasir Shah.

First Test: November 21-25, Gabba (Seven, Fox & Kayo)

Second Test: November 29 – December 3, Adelaide (d/n) (Seven, Fox & Kayo)