"I just said to him not to walk out into the ball" - David Warner reveals texting Aaron Finch during IPL 2022 to help with his form 

Australian opening batter David Warner revealed that he was in constant touch with Aaron Finch over the course of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022. The duo were at their destructive best during Australia's 10-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the first T20I at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Tuesday.

The limited-overs format captain has been struggling with the bat for quite a while now. Averaging only 19.90 in international cricket in the last 12 months, Finch's place in the 2022 T20 World Cup was in doubt, despite his captaincy role.

The 35-year-old has shown a glimpse of form with his second consecutive fifty for Australia in the shortest format.

Advising Finch to cut off his trademark walk-out to the ball, Warner said following Australia's win:

“I just said to him not to walk out into the ball. Let the ball actually do its work in the air if they want to bowl nice and full. If you stay still and keep that leg stump line, you’re going to get full contact with the ball and if it swings late, it’s going to go down leg."

Warner added:

“I kept in touch with him. We always do. We always support each other as much as we can. If we see little things we always try to help each other out by sending a message.”

The veteran batter added a walk-out to his repertoire to negate the swing. The pacers went on to target the opener with inswingers, which Finch evidently struggled dealing with.

---

"That’s when he’s at his best, when he’s nice and still" - David Warner

Finch struggled to get going during the 129-run chase in the series opener. He was adjudged LBW off Maheesh Theeksana on the third ball he faced, but a smart DRS call ensured his survival.

He remained unbeaten on 61 off 40 deliveries with eight boundaries to his name.

Backing Aaron Finch to remain still while playing, David Warner said:

I think we saw that tonight. He played some nice shots, he timed the ball well, and that’s when he’s at his best, when he’s nice and still."

Warner concluded:

“All in all it was great to see him out there today. You could see the energy was a lot different with him running between wickets, he was up and about and it was great to see.”

The white-ball squad skipper will hope to keep up the form and lead the side in the 2022 T20 World Cup later this year. Australia could become the first team to defend the title on their home soil.