“There’s strength in loyalty, not numbers” – David Warner shares cryptic post ahead of fourth Ashes Test

Australian opener David Warner has shared a cryptic post on social media ahead of the fourth Ashes Test, scheduled to be played at the Emirates Old Trafford in Manchester. The left-handed batter shared a famous quote, stressing the importance of having a small circle. He captioned the Instagram post:

“Don’t be fooled.”

The quote reads:

“When my circle got smaller, my vision got clearer. There’s strength in loyalty, not numbers.”

The post comes amid uncertainty over Warner’s place in the playing XI. The 36-year-old has, so far, scored just 141 runs in three Tests at an underwhelming average of 23.50, including a solitary half-century.

With Mitchell Marsh scoring a century on his comeback Test (third) and Cameron Green fit to play in the fourth Test, Warner is a doubtful starter in the upcoming Test.

Australian captain Pat Cummins backed Warner following his failures with the bat after the third Test but didn’t guarantee him a place in the XI. He said:

"He’s been going really well. I thought at Lord’s he was really impressive. Last week, like many of us, he probably didn’t contribute as much as he would have liked with the bat."

He continued:

"He’s been out there over the last couple of days putting in a lot of work, but I think this tour he has shown a lot of good signs and hasn’t quite kicked on to make that big score. But some of those innings he’s played under really tough circumstances has made it easy for Smith to come in and score runs, or the like."

Last week, Warner's wife Candice hinted that his husband is not in the scheme of things for Australia's upcoming Test. She captioned her Instagram post:

"The end of an era for us touring with test cricket, it’s been fun. Forever your biggest supporters and your girl gang. Love you @davidwarner31."

Meanwhile, Australia are currently leading Ashes 2-1. A victory will help the visitors register their first win in the Ashes in England since 2001. The next test is set to begin on July 19 at Old Trafford.

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Australia squad for the fourth Ashes Test

Pat Cummins (captain), Scott Boland, Alex Carey (wicketkeeper), Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wicketkeeper), Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Todd Murphy, Michael Neser, Matthew Renshaw, Steve Smith (vice-captain), Mitchell Starc, David Warner.