5 underrated David Warner knocks in Test cricket
David Warner drew curtains on his red-ball career for Australia after the Sydney Test against Pakistan that ended on January 6. Australia won the match by eight wickets to register a resounding 3-0 series win over the Men in Green.
Warner had a decent farewell series, with a fabulous ton in the first Test at Perth. He also scored 34 and 57 in the 112th and last Test of his career. Overall, the 37-year-old scored 8786 runs in Test cricket, at an average of 44.59 and a strike rate of 70.19.
Among Australian cricketers, only Ricky Ponting, Allan Border, Steve Waugh, and Steve Smith have scored more runs than Warner in the longest form of the game. He will go down as one of the country's best all-format batters.
On that note, let's look at the five most underrated knocks by David Warner in Test cricket:
#5 112 against Bangladesh at Mirpur in 2017
Bangladesh registered a famous Test win over Australia in Mirpur in 2017, with Shakib Al Hasan producing one of his all-time best performances with bat and ball. Australia won the second Test at Chattogram to level the series at 1-1, and David Warner was given the Player of the Series award for a century in both Tests.
Warner was a lone warrior during the chase in the Mirpur encounter. Australia needed 265 to win the match, but Warner lacked support from other batters. He scored 112 off 135 balls before being dismissed by Shakib. However, Australia were all out for 244.
#4 115 against South Africa at Centurion in 2014
David Warner was in the form of his life in Test cricket in 2014, averaging 63.11 in 18 innings. This match will be remembered for Mitchell Johnson's seven-wicket haul and five-wicket haul, and rightly so. But Warner also played a crucial knock in Australia's second innings.
The visitors had a healthy lead of 191 when they walked in to bat for the second time in the Test. Warner scored 115 off 151 balls, featuring 13 fours and two sixes. This quickfire knock allowed Australia to decalre at 290/4 and win the Test by 281 runs.
#3 116 against New Zealand at Brisbane in 2015
David Warner registered two tons in the Brisbane Test during New Zealand's tour of Australia in 2015. His 163 in the first innings is fondly remembered as he stitched two 150-run partnerships during that knock, first with Joe Burns and then with Usman Khawaja.
However, the 116 in the second innings goes under the radar, despite being a typical Warner knock. He smashed eight boundaries and a couple of sixes and maintained a strike rate above 100. Australia decadred at 264/4, and the Kiwis fell way short of the 504-run target.
#2 135 against South Africa at Cape Town in 2014
David Warner again scored a century each in both innings in the Cape Town Test of Australia's tour of South Africa in 2014. He scored 135 off 152 balls and 145 off 156 balls in the first and second innings, respectively, to not only win the match for his side but also clinch the series 2-1 and grab the Player of the Series award.
While both knocks were similar in terms of runs and deliveries, the first one was more impactful. His 135 in the first innings laid the foundation for his side to post a total of 494/7 before declaring. Eventually, the Kangaroos won by 245 runs.
#1 123* against New Zealand at Hobart in 2011
Playing in only his second Test match, the then-25-year-old David Warner scored a fabulous 123* against New Zealand. It was a low-scoring match at Hobart, and the hosts needed 241 runs to win the Test and clinch the two-match series 2-0. However, Doug Bracewell had other plans.
The pacer ripped through the Kiwi middle order and tailenders. Warner scored 123 out of the 233 runs made by Australia, hitting 14 boundaries in the process. Despite Nathan Lyon's best efforts, he became Bracewell's sixth victim of the innings and Australia lost by seven runs, with Warner stranded at the other end.