NEW DELHI: Australia opener
David Warner
marked his 26th Test century on Thursday by gesturing towards the Perth media box, a symbolic response to his critics. His outstanding performance on day one of the first Test against Pakistan positioned his side strongly, finishing the day at 346-5 from 84 overs.
Alongside Warner's fiery 164 off 211 balls,
Usman Khawaja
(41) and
Travis Head
(40) also made significant contributions, making it a memorable day for the hosts.
"I was disappointed with getting out, we could have been four down at the end there. But it's up to the selectors, if they want to keep continuing to pick me then I ain't leaving," Warner joked to reporters.
In the 43rd over, debutant seamer
Aamer Jamal
(2-63) felt the force of Warner's upper cut, resulting in a boundary that brought Warner's century.
Now 37, Warner seems almost certain to conclude his Test career with a final appearance in front of a home crowd in Sydney. This goal was publicly expressed in June during a challenging period in red-ball cricket, where he had only managed two centuries since the beginning of 2020.
Despite his struggles in red-ball cricket, Warner's white-ball form remained consistent. He played a pivotal role in Australia's triumph in the 50-over World Cup earlier this year in India, emerging as the team's top scorer with 535 runs in the tournament.
Warner's spot in the Test side and his desire for a home farewell had been a subject of scrutiny, and former team mate-turned-columnist for The West Australian newspaper, Mitchell Johnson, had queried his continued selection in a recent column.
"Anyone who wants to write stories about me, get headlines, that stuff doesn't bother me," Warner said after the close of play.
"I'm allowed to celebrate how I want," he added, labelling his century celebration gesture as a "a nice little quiet shush".
Warner harassed Pakistan's seam attack during the first session, outrageously hitting fast-bowler Shaheen Afridi for six over fine leg in a sign of what was still to come.
Surpassing former greats Matthew Hayden (8625) and Michael Clarke (8643) to become Australia's fifth-highest test run-scorer with 8651, Warner added a further three sixes during his aggressive and determined innings -- albeit with a dose of luck.
A dropped catch and a missed stumping to spinner Agha Salman allowed the left-hander to pass 150 before he eventually miscued Jamal to Imam-ul-Haq at backward square.
"I am getting older ... it's probably game-by-game now. If I fail next innings there'll probably be headlines, but it is what it is."
(With Reuters Inputs)
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