David Warner, the Australia opener, has not played international cricket in almost 13 months. He, however, will go into ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019 brimming with confidence, after signing off from the Indian Premier League in style.

Warner, the leading run-getter in the tournament so far, scored a fiery 81 off 56 balls in his final appearance for Sunrisers Hyderabad this season, helping his side cross the 200-run mark, the ICC reported.

‘It is great to get out there and do your job properly,’ he said after the game on Monday, 29 April. ‘It comes back to basics, backing your gameplan and instincts. I did that and put the team in a good position. It is going back to being still while batting.’

Warner’s supreme form for Hyderabad – 692 runs at 69.2 with a strike rate of 143.86 – has coincided with Australia’s swift and sudden resurgence in one-day international cricket. After dealing with severe setbacks in the last 12 months, the 2015 World Cup champions found their footing recently, claiming crucial victories in away series against India and Pakistan.

With big players like Warner finding form ahead of the World Cup, Australia are in contention as tournament favourites once again. The left-hander has had ideal preparation in the IPL, and is now ready to replicate those performances at the international level.

‘This World Cup you will see some high scores, playing in England,’ he said. ‘We are the reigning champions and for us, it is going out there backing our abilities and being our best selves. I am looking forward to it and this was a stepping stone to that.’

Warner was handed a 12-month suspension after his involvement in a ball-tampering incident in Newlands last year. He believes the break has helped him grow on and off the pitch.

‘I have had time off to work harder at my game,’ he said. ‘Put the bat down for 16-18 weeks and just worked hard on being the best father and husband, that has worked for me. I try and always do that around the team, be the funny man and prankster and try my best to give what is good for the team.’