Chris Rattue on the Cricket World Cup: David Warner the perfect villain

David Warner is fired up for the Cricket World Cup match against the Black Caps. Picture / Getty Images

There's a storm cloud gathering over Eden Park, and we're not just talking about the horrible prospect of rain on Saturday for the Black Caps' Cricket World Cup match.

When it comes to operating in a cauldron, back Australia nine times out of 10 just as you would the All Blacks these days. All this Kiwi confidence is great, kind of. It's way better than having a dud team. But it will also make the realists nervous.

Oh what wonderful days for cricket though, and the booming expectations of this New Zealand team are fully justified. Australian cricketers are the toughest of breeds though and Michael Clarke's unit has exceptional batting and bowling firepower, and bats deep.

Verbal attacks and their place in the game are making for a rousing build-up but the result may depend heavily on a five letter word - swing. Tim Southee and Trent Boult have proved this should be the hallmark of New Zealand bowling attacks but as occurred in Wellington against England, it is a mysterious business. Boult's ball was rather quiet, whereas Southee made his talk.

The build-up to Saturday's match in Auckland has got a great feel and Australia's combative opener David Warner is the star we can thank most for that. Warner plays the villain as if born to the role and when it comes to headlines, has become a sitting duck. Little Davey could say how beautiful our mountains are, and he'd be slammed for not mentioning the lakes.

Warner is gold for the media. If it wasn't for his ilk - the one that includes Kevin Pietersen and co. - many days would drag a little slower, even though we have to go tut-tut. Bless him, Warner did produce nuggets, especially by including New Zealand's swashbuckling hero Brendon "Baz" McCullum and the phrase "brain explosion" in the same sentence.

This is not sledging or abuse, I'd guess, but a ploy to place seeds of doubt in McCullum's mind while firing Warner up into the bargain. The heat of battle does get the better of Warner at times, perhaps. But away from the middle, professional sport is a heavily calculated game. Blokes who spend hours poring over the nuances of how a little leather ball travels aren't going to ruin it all by blurting things out off-the-cuff.

Shane Warne, the leg spin legend and amongst the sharpest cricket brains ever, penned a fascinating piece in the Mail Online about sledging.

He explained how the great Aussie captain Allan Border suggested Warne gee himself up for contests that weren't going well by verbally engaging batsmen. Border would prime his own famous battle instincts by provoking opposing fielders. Some players bring their own red rag into battle and simply grab the nearest passerby to wave it. Warner has similar buttons to press, and has virtually begged the Eden Park crowd to boo. Not everyone has a self-construct button though.

Despite a truly amazing year or so, McCullum's CV includes too many shots out of sync with his ability, ones that have brought him down. Anything that plants reminders of this in his subconscious could pay dividends.

McCullum can take this game away from Australia. His superb team-building, tactical nous and follow-me fielding are at the core of what is shaping as a golden era. His best batting is beyond belief. But he has never led his side into such a battle on home ground with public expectations so high. Get to McCullum, and you get to his team.

Warne wrote that when it came to Border, the more you sledged him the better it got ... for Border. These Australians must think McCullum is made of different stuff.