Australia's David Warner has averaged 118 balls to reach a century for his 15 Test hundreds. Robert Cianflone / Getty Images
Australia's David Warner has averaged 118 balls to reach a century for his 15 Test hundreds. Robert Cianflone / Getty Images

David Warner’s fast scoring following in footsteps of Sehwag, Gayle and Trescothick



Almost like the way he likes to play cricket, the fortunes of David Warner have moved fast.

Back in the summer of 2013, Warner was in disgrace and had been demoted from Australia’s Test squad and one-day side after he had punched England batsman Joe Root in a bar in Birmingham following his country’s Champions Trophy defeat at Edgbaston.

His career had appeared in jeopardy as he was first suspended and then sent to play for Australia A in South Africa, rather than take part in the Ashes in England that year.

Fortunately for Warner, Australia struggled badly in the opening two Tests of that series, so he was offered a reprieve and was recalled for the third Test in Manchester.

He has not looked back since. The 29-year-old batsman has established himself as one of Australia’s most important players.

Initially seen as only a limited-overs player, Warner had scored only three hundreds before his reprimand in June 2013, but since getting his reprieve has struck nine, the latest being the monster 253 in the continuing second Test in Perth against New Zealand.

But, it is the manner of how he goes about his work that makes him stand out, and why he is so important to Australia.

Of the 15 hundreds he has made in Test cricket, Warner has averaged 118 balls to make it to three figures, which is lightning quick for the game’s longest format.

He always looks to get on with it and be aggressive, and when he gets himself set he can change a match in a session.

Warner looks to take on bowlers, going after anything wide and short, and targeting spin bowlers early before they settle.

The role of opening batsmen is a crucial one; they set the tone for the innings, and can often define how they will fare.

Warner is not the first exponent of getting an innings off to a bang.

Back in 2005, when England regained the Ashes from Australia, much was made of Andrew Flintoff’s all-round heroics, and Kevin Pietersen’s swashbuckling batting.

But opener Marcus Trescothick was superb, and in many ways played one of the most important innings of that series, in the second Test at Edgbaston.

England were reeling after losing the first Test, but Trescothick took the fight to the Australians in Birmingham, cracking 77 in the first session as England made 132 for one, which demonstrated to the Australians that they would not have things all their own way.

India’s Virender Sehwag was another opener who attacked from the start of an innings.

One of his best innings was the 83 he hit against England in the second innings of the first Test at Chennai n December 2008.

Pietersen, the England captain at the time, had declared with India needing 387 runs in four sessions, which looked tricky on a wearing wicket, when scoring close to 100 runs a session would be needed.

Enter Sehwag. In 68 balls he hit 11 boundaries and four sixes as he sent the English attack to all parts of the ground.

England had started the innings as favourites, but by the time Sehwag was dismissed, 117 runs had been scored in 23 overs and the game had been turned on its head. India would go on and win comfortably.

It is a shame Chris Gayle’s talents appear to be lost to Test cricket, not just for West Indies followers, but cricket fans as a whole, as he could bat for long spells, in an entertaining fashion, when he wanted, as his 333, off 437 balls against Sri Lanka, in 2010 demonstrated.

The speed at which Warner hit his two hundreds in Brisbane against New Zealand in the first Test – 163 off 224 balls and 116 off 113 – last week helped give Australia enough time to bowl out New Zealand in their second innings, despite the Black Caps managing to last 88 overs before their 10th wicket fell.

Is Warner the perfect opener? No. He still seems to struggle against the moving ball, and the fact he has yet to score a hundred in seven Tests in England backs that up.

Only three of his 15 centuries have come outside Australia, and you feel if Australia are to get back to No 1 in the world ranking that will have to change.

For almost every occasion when he has got in and gone on to get a big score there has been an ill-advised early swipe at a wide ball that has given the slip cordon catching practice.

But that is what makes Warner so entertaining. He is unpredictable in his shot selection and how he plays the game, and that is how sport should be.

Warner will be almost certainly bat again today in the second Test, which looks to be heading for a draw, with both sides have notched up 500 in their first innings.

But with Warner in the middle, going for a fourth successive Test hundred, it is hard to rule anything out.

gcaygill@thenational.ae

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