T20 World Cup: Australian captain Mitch Marsh says David Warner is at his best when under fire

“I don’t know anything about Angola, but Angola’s in trouble.”

That famous line was uttered by US basketball great Charles Barkley, ahead of the juggernaut US Dream Team’s opening-game rout of the African minnow at the 1992 Olympics.

And while none of Australia’s T20 cricketers will be brash enough to say it, the same line could well be uttered about little-known Oman – and particularly when it comes to what David Warner could do to their bowling attack – for the teams’ World Cup clash on Thursday (WA time).

There’s an air of anticipation around Warner, who enters the final international tournament of his career in a position where he has so often thrived: With his back to the wall.

An underwhelming Indian Premier League campaign, where he averaged just 21 in eight innings and suffered a hand injury, has led to questions around his place in the side amid the emergence of young tyro and World Cup standby player Jake Fraser-McGurk.

But Warner will be given first crack at the top of Australia’s order alongside Travis Head, and he underlined the kind of damage he can inflict on an attack after blasting an unbeaten 54 off just 21 balls in the opening warm-up clash against Namibia.

For at least a couple of teammates, it was an indication that Warner may just be gearing up for one last silencing of the critics.

“In my experience with ‘Bull’… any time he’s perceived to be under pressure, when he puts the Aussie colours on, the best side of ‘Bull’ comes out,” Australian paceman Nathan Ellis told The Nightly.

“He’s been a player who’s done so well in all formats for so many years, and always seems to do well in the pressure games and the pressure tournaments.

“I’m betting he has another great tournament.”

Aussie skipper Mitch Marsh said he was amazed at Warner’s long-standing tendency to make a statement to the doubters when under pressure.

“I might just write an article about him and just spray him,” Marsh joked.

“We’re so lucky to have him in our team. If you look at our team as a whole… it’s not just cricket for me. It’s who they are, not just what they bring on the field.

“Davey’s got a wealth of experience. He’s 37, but he carries on like an 18-year-old and always wants to win.

“He’s a great, and hopefully we can send him out the right way.”

Chris Robinson travelled to Trinidad & Tobago as a guest of Prime Video, which is broadcasting the T20 World Cup.