The current generation boasts many amazing batsmen, one among them is the exciting and deadly Australian batsman, David Warner.
The hard-hitting southpaw is one of the most feared batsmen in all formats of the game today and has been the scourge of bowlers and a highly valuable player in the Australian team since his debut in international cricket in 2009. With his intrepid style of batting at the top of the order, Warner often reminds fans of another Australian batsman, the legendary Adam Gilchrist.
Although he was initially considered as a limited overs specialist, Warner’s aggressive style of batting made him immensely successful in Test cricket as well. That he maintains an average of 48 even while striking at a rate of 77 runs per 100 deliveries in Test cricket is remarkable.
Let us look at ten glorious performances by him across all formats.
#1 253 vs New Zealand (Perth 2015)
Much like Adam Gilchrist and Virender Sehwag, Warner did not confine his natural attacking instincts to limited overs cricket and adopted the same daredevil approach in Test cricket too. It is precisely why he is considered the most dangerous batsman in Test cricket today although there are more prolific run scorers than him.
Warner struck his career best 253 versus arch-rivals New Zealand at Perth in 2015. He made his runs at a strike rate of 88 which is considered a highly impressive one even in ODI cricket. While Usman Khawaja too made a sparkling century, it was Warner who stole the show with his dazzling stroke-play.
Although the Aussies piled up a mammoth 559 runs in their first innings, the Kiwis under the captaincy of Brendon McCullum were unfazed and even surpassed it thanks to Ross Taylor’s monumental 290. This was a high scoring encounter in which the batsmen from both sides made mincemeat of the bowlers and the match ended in a predictable draw.
#2 180 vs India (Perth 2012)
Australia proved to be a graveyard for many touring Indian teams but post 2000, the Indian team managed to put in competitive performances down under. Following the retirements of greats such as Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden, the Australian side no longer had the fearsome look that it possessed till not very long ago.
For the first time, they appeared mortal and beatable. Hence, it was considered the best chance for India in many years to tame the Aussies in their own backyard. However, they were in for rude shock.
(Video Courtesy: Star Sports)
The Kangaroos thumped the visitors 4-0 in the series and David Warner contributed to India’s misery in no small measure. In the third test at Perth, he blitzed 180 off just 159 balls that deflated the Indian bowling attack completely.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s men were already on the back foot after posting a paltry total in the first innings and Warner’s blistering century ensured that Australia gained a stranglehold on the contest. That a whopping 110 runs came in boundaries demonstrates the extent of destruction he inflicted on the inexperienced Indian bowling attack.
#3 145 vs South Africa (Cape Town, 2014)
In the modern era, Australia and South Africa have a closely fought rivalry with some epic contests over the years. That some of David Warner’s best batting performances came against the Proteas bowling attack, one of the most fearsome ones in the modern era, is a feather in the left-hander’s cap.
In the Third Test in the engrossing 2013/14 Australia vs South Africa series, Warner notched up hundreds in both innings and wreaked havoc on the South African bowling attack. He made a quick-fire 135 in the first innings, steering the Aussies to a massive score and his ton in the second innings came even at a faster rate. In the mayhem that lasted 156 balls, Warner clouted four sixes and plundered 145 runs thus becoming one of a handful of cricketers to score centuries in both innings of a Test match.
The South Africans fought tooth and nail to save the match but the first innings deficit and the Aussie pace bowlers were too much to cope with. For his twin tons that fetched his team a huge victory, Warner earned the ‘Man of the Match’ honour.
#4 173 vs South Africa (Cape Town 2016)
For the fans of the Kangaroos, Australia’s tour of South Africa in 2016 will be one series that they would’ve quickly forgotten. Ahead of this match, the Proteas were leading 4-0 in the series and were threatening to inflict an ignominious whitewash on Steven Smith’s men.
In the fifth and final ODI, South Africa posted a mammoth total of 327 on the board and a clean-sweep seemed inevitable.
Warner who plundered truckloads of runs in the series notched up a ‘take-no-prisoners’ 173 off just 136 deliveries, scoring more than half of the target. He struck a staggering 24 boundaries and, although he kept the Kangaroos in the hunt till the very end, the South Africans were always a step ahead in the contest. In the end, Warner’s heroics were in vain as he lacked support from the other end and the South Africans won convincingly.
This lion-hearted innings by Warner will go down in the history of ODI cricket as one of the great knocks to ever be played in a losing cause.
#5 163 vs Sri Lanka (Brisbane 2012)
Prior to this match, Warner was under considerable pressure having averaged a mediocre 22 from 18 ODIs without a century to his name. Warner chose a perfect occasion to notch up his maiden ton when he smashed 163 off 157 balls against Sri Lanka in the first final of the Commonwealth Bank series.
This was not a hurricane innings that one would naturally expect from Warner, but was the most crucial one in his ODI career and cemented his spot as the opener.
(Video Courtesy: ACDCMelbourne2010)
All the Lankan pacers, including the wily Lasith Malinga, went for plenty as Warner put on a scintillating display of pull shots and powerful punches through the offside. Warner’s marathon innings was the cornerstone of Australia’s total of 321 and was just enough to ensure a close victory. Although the Sri Lankan batsmen fought valiantly, they could muster only 306 thus falling short of the target by 15 runs.
#6 109 vs South Africa (St Kitts 2016)
David Warner’s 109 off 120 balls against South Africa in 2016 was a sedate knock, but only by the lofty standards he has set for himself. His knock formed the backbone of the Australian score of 288 in the match.
The innings was studded with 11 fours and 2 sixes, and he, along with Usman Khawaja, forged a huge partnership and the Kangaroos were threatening to post a massive target. However, the South African bowlers did a great job and restricted them to a below 300 score.
Warner struck the first ball he faced in the innings for a four and looked in regal touch. The runs flowed freely from his willow throughout the course of the innings. With no Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel in its ranks, the South African bowling attack looked weak and could pose not pose any formidable challenge to the fluent left-hander.
The South African batsmen were well on course in the first half of the chase but they soon fell apart later handing the Aussies a comfortable victory. Once again, Warner was the chief architect of an Australian victory.
#7 127 vs England (Sydney 2015)
When a swashbuckling top-order batsman like David Warner is in full flow, no target, however high it may seem is beyond the realms of possibility. When Warner goes berserk, the respectable targets look paltry and the trifling ones sink further into a class of more trifling ones.
Having won the toss, England chose to bat and all they could muster was a mere 234, despite a brilliant hundred from Eoin Morgan.
Chasing a modest target, the Australians did not face any major hurdle thanks to Warner’s magnificent 127 off 115 deliveries. Right from the outset, Warner rode roughshod over the English bowlers and there was no respite for the hapless Stuart Broad and co. from the punishing blade of Warner.
Strangely for a batsman with penchant for big shots, Warner did not hit even one six in his innings, but the pace at which he scored his runs meant that Australia romped home with plenty of balls to spare.
#8 89 vs South Africa (Melbourne 2009)
In Australia’s domestic cricket, Warner had earned a formidable reputation as a devastating batsman who could score runs at a breakneck pace, and he did not take too long to impress the spectators on the international stage.
In his very first T20, Warner blasted 89 off just 43 balls at a strike rate of more than 200 against a mighty South African bowling lineup that included Dale Steyn and Makhaya Ntini.
(Video Courtesy: silver ace)
Showing no fear, Warner pulverised the South African bowling attack and smashed six sixes and seven fours. This ferocious assault brought back memories of the dangerous Adam Gilchrist slaying bowling attacks ruthlessly.
It also announced the arrival of Warner onto the international arena in great style and caught the eyeballs of every Australian supporter. Although the South African bowlers pulled things back significantly and restricted the Kangaroos to 182, the total proved to be more than enough for Ricky Ponting’s men to secure a massive victory.
#9 72 vs India (Bridgetown 2010)
David Warner is one of the most feared batsmen in today’s generation regardless of the format and along with all-rounder Shane Watson, he formed a deadly opening combination in limited overs cricket. The duo could go on a rampage right from the outset and rip any bowling attack to shreds in a jiffy.
The Indian bowlers were at the receiving end of the duo’s fury in ICC World T20, 2010, when both Watson and Warner struck blistering fifties. Warner smashed the Indian bowlers all over the park and took a special liking for the bowling of left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja, whom he clobbered for sixes effortlessly.
The Aussies lost their way towards the end and mustered only 184 from a position where a 200+ total seemed a certainty. However, the Indian batsmen folded up without displaying even a modicum of fighting spirit and handed the Aussies a humongous victory. For his spectacular 72 off just 42 balls, Warner bagged the Man of the Match award.
#10 90 not out vs Sri Lanka (Sydney 2013)
T20 format, which requires the ability to go hammer and tongs at the bowlers straightaway, is tailor-made for a belligerent batsman like David Warner. Warner has been a stellar performer in T20 format both for Australia and in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
This knock was Warner’s career-best in T20Is and came against the touring Sri Lankans at Sydney in 2013. His unbeaten innings was the only silver lining in an otherwise completely lacklustre batting performance by the Kangaroos. With no support forthcoming from the rest of the batsmen, Warner waged a lonely battle and amassed 90 runs, thus scoring the bulk of runs in the Aussie score of 137 and lending it some respectability.
However, the target was too meagre to stave off an Australian defeat and the Lankans galloped home with more than an over to spare. But, there was never any doubt as to who the best performer in the match was.
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