'You're f***ed': Ricky Ponting's fiery advice for David Warner

Ricky Ponting has never been one to mince his words and details of his all-time serve for David Warner at the 2019 Cricket World Cup is testament to that.

A new cricket documentary looking at how Australia rebuilt its reputation after the Cape Town ball-tampering scandal has proved a real eye-opener for fans.

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Amongst other things Amazon documentary ‘The Test’ has shed light on is an exchange between Ponting and Warner that the opening batsman admits he found "confronting".

Warner had only just returned to the national side after serving a 12-month ban alongside Steve Smith, for his role in the infamous 'sandpapergate' scandal.

The batsman seemed desperately keen to make amends after being welcomed back with open arms by Aussie teammates, ahead of the World Cup in England and Wales.

“In the last 12 months I have had a lot of reflecting to do,” Warner said.

“With cricket and what happened in the past and getting better as a team person as well.

“Looking from the outside in you can see the whole team ... we have grown a lot.

“How we have been accepted in the past 24 hours, I don’t really feel like I’ve left.

“There was no unease or anything like that. I was back like I went out of the team yesterday.”

Things started well enough for Warner and the Aussies after wins in their opening two World Cup group matches against Afghanistan and the West Indies.

The first major test presented itself in game three, however, when Australia were given a reality check by a ruthless Indian side that piled on 352 runs after winning the toss and batting first.

Australia's run-chase began brightly until Warner ran out skipper Aaron Finch for 36 runs - the opener revealing that he felt "rattled" at the crease.

Warner went on to make an uncharacteristically slow 56 runs (off 84 balls), admitting he batted with "fear" against India's bowling attack.

“From the batting point of view I was quite rattled after I ran out Finchy,” Warner confessed in the Aussie sheds.

“I felt like I had a fear of getting out. I didn’t feel like I could take that risk.”

It was after Warner's candid self-assessment that former Aussie skipper Ponting - working with the side as a batting coach - interjected with some brutally honest advice that would prove to be a turning point for the left-handed batsman.

“If you’re scared about getting out, f*** that. You’ve got to be thinking about getting runs, not be worried about making a mistake,” Ponting said.

“I’ve been there, you start thinking about making mistakes as a player, you’re f***ed. At the end of the day all of you have got nothing to fear, nothing to lose right now.

“We haven’t got the World Cup. All we’ve got are things to gain and things to win. You need to think that way.

“You are the best cricket team in the tournament. If you keep holding back and being fearful of things, this is going to get harder and harder.

“Keep backing yourself and backing your skills and imposing yourself on the game when the opportunity presents itself.”

Ponting’s words prove turning point for Warner

Warner conceded that Ponting's forthright analysis was "confronting" but effective.

“When you’re in a team environment, and you’re giving feedback in front of a group, it can be quite confronting sometimes,” Warner admitted.

“It really hit me, and I was just like, ‘OK, I’ll take that on board’.”

Little did Warner realise at the time but Ponting's spray preceded a stunning run of form that would eventually see the opener claim the Allan Border medal.

Warner hit a swashbuckling century (103) against Pakistan in the very next game, while finishing the tournament as the second best run-scorer with 647 runs - one shy of India’s Rohit Sharma.

Steve Smith spray revealed in documentary

The documentary also shed light on another memorable spray from Warner's teammate Smith, during Australia's successful Ashes campaign in 2019.

Smith returned with an almighty bang as he made twin centuries in the first Ashes Test - his first Test back.

Facing a fired-up England attack and some below-the-belt treatment from the local crowds, Smith showed the world he was still the best batsman going around.

And if Nathan Lyon thought Smith had lost any of his drive and intensity, he was quickly put in his place.

Lyon reveals Smith’s brutal response when he joined the former captain at the crease during the first innings and relayed a message from the dressing rooms.

With Smith on 85 and Australia 9-210, Lyon told Smith the plan was to find a way to scrape a total of 250.

“Tugga (Steve Waugh) said ‘why don’t you work in tens’,” Lyon says in the documentary.

“I remember saying to Smudger (Smith), we get 10 more runs we get to 250.

“He goes, ‘shut the f*** up, let me bat, I’ll get it up to 300.’”

Australia didn’t quite make 300 – falling 16 runs short to be all out for 284 – but Smith was well and truly back as he made 144 off 219 balls.

“I thought of my wife who had been through that journey with me, my family, everyone that had been by my side and helping me in the difficult times,” Smith said.

“It was almost like a feeling of pride being able to get back and perform and score another hundred.

“It gave me confidence for the rest of the series to know that I was back and able to do my thing.”