Play ball? It's batter up for David Warner in IPL but he's set to ignore feelers from MLB scouts
- From: The Daily Telegraph
- December 16, 2013
Dark day for England allows Australia to sniff Ashes glory 2:44
An injury to leading wicket taker Stuart Broad and a ton from David Warner has given Australia a sniff of Ashes series glory after Day Three of the Third Test at the WACA.
David Warner smashes England allrounder Tim Bresnan for six in the Ashes. Source: News Limited
AUSTRALIAN cricket's man-of-the-moment, Dave Warner, is on the verge of becoming a $50 million career player, allaying fears he could be tempted by talent scouts from Major League Baseball in the US.
The blockbusting opener is expected to attract a $2 million deal at next month's IPL auction on top of his Cricket Australia contract and ever-increasing endorsements.
At 27 years of age - if he can hold his form - it puts him in a position to earn $5 million-a-year from cricket for the next decade, based on the age that champions Ricky Ponting and Sachin Tendulkar played to.
Warner's manager Tony Connelly last night told The Daily Telegraph they had discussed the possibility of having a baseball trial in the US.
Dave Warner's WACA wiggle 0:30
Dave Warner celebrates taking Alastair Cook's wicket in unconventional fashion.
Two of Australia's greatest Test batsmen, Allan Border and Ian Chappell, both played the sport at a high level.
"Dave and I have spoken about it - it would be interesting to see how he goes," Connelly said.
"A pitch over the plate is a full toss right in his range but once they start throwing curves, it's a bit different.
"We talked about setting up a trial in the States and getting him in a batting cage just to have a look.
"It was more a fun thing to see how he goes. Right now he's in the middle of an Ashes series and that's his total focus."
Warner has been in such explosive form that baseball officials recently considered approaching him to play in an All Stars team when the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Arizona Diamondbacks play at the Sydney Cricket Ground in late March.
But a check of Australia's cricket itinerary revealed he will be in South Africa and then Bangladesh when the baseball is in Sydney.
David Warner has lit up the Ashes and attracted the attention of baseball scouts. Source: News Limited
The Major League game promoter Justin Moore has confirmed Warner's name was mentioned.
"We threw his name around in our internal discussions," Moore said.
"I've had people asking me about Dave Warner from bizarre corners of the planet.
"Out of all the cricketers, he's probably the one who could convert because of his eye and his power, plus his fielding is good enough.
"If he was any good at baseball, he could double or triple what he earns from cricket."
America's best batters earn more than $20 million a season, according to last year's published wages.
"You just don't know with Dave," Moore said.
"If you get on base 35 per cent of the time and have a reasonable RPI and a good slugging percentage, they'd write you as big a cheque as you'd want."
Having overcome a terrible form slump in England earlier this year, Warner has now re-emerged as the world's most explosive batsman.
David Warner shows his roar power after hitting a ton during the third Ashes Test. Source: News Limited
He is averaging more than 90 in the current Ashes series and is clearly the country's most marketable cricketer, even ahead of skipper Michael Clarke and fast-bowling hero Mitchell Johnson.
He has big money deals with Gray Nicolls, Asics, All-Day socks and ANZ Stadium. Connelly is also in negotiations with a major media company and another major corporation.
A television advertising campaign has also been spoken of.
"His talent is second to none in raw ability and now he's combining it with a great work ethic," Connelly said.
"Maybe the slump was good for him in that he saw it could all potentially slip away."
COULD DAVID WARNER MAKE IT IN BASEBALL? HAVE YOUR SAY BELOW.
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