David Warner’s dashing century in 125 deliveries was a rather loud answer to his critics who expressed doubts at his form. Warner made a savage move of pointing his bat post his ton at the media box, where apparently Mitchell Johnson was seated.
David Warner post his brilliant knock of 102 off 125 Source:X
The man, the myth and the legend. David Warner hit off all criticisms to the boundary as he slammed his 26th international century in tests on Thursday. The 37-year-old opener who’s performing his swan song scored a massive 164 off 211 balls, with a strike rate of 77.73. The sensational display of his scintillating performance came in Day 1 of the Australia-Pakistan test series.
Warner’s aggressive innings seemed like an answer to his critics who questioned the star batter’s form. He reached the three figure in just 125 balls. His partnership with Usman Khawaja propelled Australia’s supremacy on the first day of the three match test series. Pakistan’s bland bowling aided in boosting the thrust of Kangaroos’ hops.
Warner’s classy act plummeted Aussies’ scoreboard to 346-5 at stumps at Perth. In the post match conference, Warner told the reporters that the score was at around par, though short of one wicket. He also asserted that the team got a decent start and was in a good position, considering the wicket on which they played.Warner is now Australia’s fifth-leading run-scorer in test format, surpassing modern legends like Matthew Hayden and Michael Clarke.
Source: X
Pakistan’s Miserable Spell
Meanwhile, Pakistan finds itself facing a difficult challenge after a disappointing first day of their Test campaign. The day was marked by dropped catches, inaccurate bowling, front-foot no-balls, sloppy misfields, and a missed stumping.
Shaheen Shah Afridi, who dismissed Khawaja after the lunch break, showed flashes of brilliance during the morning session, but the rest of Pakistan’s bowling attack failed to pose a threat on the bouncy Perth pitch. However, they managed to take three wickets in the evening session, giving the visitors something to celebrate at the end of the day. All-rounder Mitchell Marsh and wicketkeeper Alex Carey remained unbeaten overnight.
Afridi had difficulty swinging the new Kookaburra ball after Australian captain Pat Cummins chose to bat first, which is a cause for concern for the tourists. The left-arm bowler managed to find the outside edge three times during an expensive opening spell, but each opportunity narrowly missed the slips fielders.
Warner swiftly approached his half-century in a mere 41 deliveries, displaying an array of stylish shots typically associated with limited-overs cricket. These included lofted cuts and extravagant glances. In the later part of the morning session, the left-handed batsman found himself on the ground after executing a successful ramp shot against Afridi. The ball sailed over the wicketkeeper’s head and cleared the boundary for a six.
Just moments before the lunch break, Afridi made an LBW appeal against Warner, who was batting on 59. However, Pakistan’s review was unsuccessful as Hawkeye indicated that the ball would have bounced over the stumps.
Warner Departs, Pak Back on Track
Pakistan’s bowling saw a significant improvement after the 40-minute break, managing to restrict the flow of runs and making inroads into Australia’s top order. In the 30th over, Afridi enticed Khawaja into playing an expansive drive, resulting in the Queenslander edging the ball through to wicketkeeper Sarfaraz Ahmed and departing for 41. Shortly after, seamer Faheem Ashraf dismissed Marnus Labuschagne by trapping him LBW, although Labuschagne wasted a review before leaving the field with 16 runs.
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Warner reached his century in 125 deliveries, but not without a slow crawl through the nineties. He brought up his hundred with an upper cut over the slips cordon, immediately removing his helmet and performing his signature Toyota leap. He directed his celebration towards the media box before embracing his partner Smith.
