Sri Lankan tracks aren't ideal to promote limited-overs cricket, feels Warner

David Warner feels the kind of tracks being prepared in the Sri Lanka series aren't ideal to promote limited-overs cricket. Warner wasn't pleased with the turning surfaces that have been prepared in the Test series and in the four One-Day Internationals so far, even as Australia clinched the five-match series 3-1 with one game to go.


The Australia captain cited the example of the track prepared for the England-Pakistan game at Trent Bridge, where the former amassed the highest ODI total of 444. In the four ODIs so far, only once a score in access of 250 has been posted when Sri Lanka scored 288 in the second game. Both teams have struggled to touch the 240-mark since then, with spinners reaping rewards of the favourable conditions.

"When it comes to limited-overs cricket, you want to see a contest. It's more about scoring 300 runs," Warner said on Wednesday (August 31). "When you come here, both teams are busting their back to scramble to 200. It's not probably ideal for the people who are coming here to watch cricket. We are trying to grow the game. It's little disappointing from our point of view because this is not the way we like to play. We like to play aggressive brand of cricket, we like to entertain the crowd but so far it has been really difficult to do that.

"Low scoring games do post a challenge. We saw that in Guyana. Both teams couldn't even score 150. They were turning square, it was up and down. But when you've got world class bowlers and world class batsmen and there has to be something wrong with the wicket when they can't even post 150.

"There are times when you have to grind it out but when see games like the England-Pakistan one, that's what I love about cricket. I love that kind of atmosphere.

"That was the reason I went to watch the game as a youngster. With the kind of wickets we have here, it's going to be very very tough to draw big crowds all the time."

Australia managed to seal the fourth ODI with a comfortable six-wicket win, scaling the target of 213 in just 31 overs. Aaron Finch gave the team a flying start with a 19-ball 55 before George Bailey struck an unbeaten 85-ball 90 to polish off the chase.

Warner was full of praise for his batsmen and stated that they are trying to make full use against the new ball. "We have been here for a while and obviously knew the surfaces aren't going to get any better," he said. "So we had to learn and adapt.You look at the way Finch started in the first few overs. You look at the way George played - he swept and reverse swept. He has played in the subcontinent conditions in the last couple of years.His form has been outstanding and he has been our rock in the middle there in these conditions.

For us it's about getting a good start and making use of that new ball. You see what happens when the ball gets old. It starts turning square."

Even though the tracks have been assisting the spinners, Australia opted to go in with four pacers with Adam Zampa and Travis Head taking up the spinners' responsibilities. Warner revealed the plan is to make the Sri Lankan batsmen face more of pace because they are comfortable against the spinners.

"They put in a Bunsen burner there so that we pick a spinner because you guys like playing against spin," he said. "At the end of the day, we have to stick to a team that we think is going to be the best attack and so far we've picked the right one."

The two teams will now head to Pallekele for the fifth and final ODI before ending the tour with a two-match Twenty20 International series.