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How David Warner turned his career around

A cricketer’s career can involve a series of swings and roundabouts and David Warner’s was swinging in the wrong direction.

Now he’s a mature family man, father of one and one of Test cricket’s genuine match-winners.

Suspended for taking a swing at England batsman Joe Root in a bar and making headlines for a twitter rant at Australian journalists, Warner had a lot going on in 2013.

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He still does, but things are moving in the right direction on and off the field.

Warner and partner Candice Falzon, the former Ironwoman lifesaver, in September celebrated the birth of their baby daughter Ivy Mae.

On Friday, Warner was jumping for joy after scoring his ninth Test hundred. Six of them have come in the past 12 months.  

Warner was bowled by legspinner Yasir Shah for 133 in the first over after lunch on day three of the first Test against Pakistan.

It’s his third century in consecutive Test innings. Adam Gilchrist in 2005 is the only other Australia batsman to complete the feat since Don Bradman in 1948.

The 27-year-old says there’s some good fortune involved in putting together a run of big scores.

His 133 against Pakistan follows his 135 and 145 against South Africa in March.

“It comes with a lot of luck,” Warner said on Friday.

“I had a couple of chances dropped in South Africa.

“That’s the game. Sometimes it’s in your favour.

“Sometimes you nick the first few in your next couple of innings. You have to keep riding that rollercoaster of being in form.”

Warner has boosted his strike rate marginally in the past 12 months, but his greatest improvement appears to have come from his mental approach.

“It comes with age and the more times you go out in the middle the more you realise what you can do,” Warner said.

“There was a lot going through my head 12 months ago and I knew (I had to either) knuckle down or I won’t play again for Australia.

“So I spoke to my parents, I spoke to Candice and we came up with a solution to switch on and focus and get back to what I want to do and that was play cricket for Australia.

“It comes down to maturity. The past 12 months I’ve realised how hungry I am to score runs and now I’ve found a balance between on the field and off the field when I’m practising.

“So I think all of those lead up to you walking onto the field and being consistent.”

AAP

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