Warner leaps back into familiar form
In his darkest moments when he was shunned by an angry Australian public, David Warner wondered whether he’d ever get another chance to do a leaping celebration to mark a hundred on home soil.
Almost two years after posting his 21st test century, Warner registered No 22 when he flicked Pakistan leg-spinner Yasir Shah behind square and scored a single at the Gabba in Brisbane yesterday.
He took off his helmet, leaped into the air, and then swung it around again before holding it aloft with his bat as he faced the players’ pavilion.
Then he kissed it on the crest. People in the crowd of 13,769 at the Gabba stood and applauded.
There was no booing, like there had been when he scored centuries in the one-day format at the World Cup in England, which is where he returned from international exile following a 12-month ban for his part in a ball-tampering episode in South Africa in 2018.
Forgiven but not forgotten, he quashed any doubt over his spot in the Australian lineup after a lean Ashes series.
By stumps on day two of the first test against Pakistan, Warner was 151 not out and Australia were 312-1, a lead of 72 runs.
Warner shared a 222-run opening partnership with the recalled Joe Burns, who was out for 97 when he gloved the ball back onto his stumps attempting to sweep Yasir, and 90 with Marnus Labuschagne, who reached his sixth test half-century with a boundary in the last over and remained unbeaten on 55.
Warner, 33, had a reprieve – on 56 when edging behind but a TV review showed 16-year-old paceman Naseem Shah had delivered a noball – and another close call on 93, when a direct throw hit the stumps as Warner slid his bat a fraction into safe ground beyond the crease at the non-striker’s end.
He also had a life when a delivery from Imran Khan appeared to shave the off stump but didn’t dislodge the bails in the penultimate over.
He faced more deliveries and scored more runs in one day than he did in 10 innings in the entire Ashes series, his first in the test arena since returning from the ban.
Warner and Steve Smith – then the vice-captain and captain – were each suspended for 12 months by Cricket Australia and opener Cameron Bancroft was out for nine months after South African broadcasters caught a clumsy attempt to tamper with the condition of the match ball while the Australians were fielding in a test at Cape Town in March of last year.