Australia coach Darren Lehmann is confident that opening batsman David Warner will be fit to face Bangladesh in the upcoming Test series after sustaining a blow to the head in a practice game in Darwin.
Warner was struck on neck by a bouncer from Josh Hazlewood while batting in an intra-squad practice match on Tuesday and was immediately sent for concussion tests and took no further part in the three-day game.
The first of two Test matches against the Tigers starts in Mirpur on 27 August and Lehmann seems certain that Warner, who is Australia’s vice-captain, will take his place in the starting line-up.
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Lehmann told reporters in Darwin on Wednesday: “He seems all right, walking around the ground today, so fingers crossed he’ll be okay and we’ll get an update in the next day or two.
“It’s always a scare when that happens, isn’t it? Hopefully he’s going to be okay.”
Lehmann was fairly pleased with the practice game as most of his side got some time out in the middle, although he wanted his batsmen to spend more time at the crease.
The surface in Darwin was very spin friendly as Australia wanted to replicate the conditions they would face in the subcontinent.
Lehmann said of the squad after the game: “They’re all pretty cooked, exactly what we wanted. We would have liked to bat a bit longer today but they were tough conditions and that’s exactly what we wanted obviously leading into Bangladesh.
“We’ve got to get better at batting for longer periods but I thought the spinners were good.”
