David Warner silenced Mitchell Johnson with a barnstorming hundred in the first innings of the opening Test against Pakistan in Perth last week. Warner was dismissed for a duck in the second innings but his 164 had already laid the platform for Australia’s 360-run thrashing of Pakistan.
Before the start of the Test series, Mitchell Johnson had lashed out at David Warner getting a farewell. While Warner did not react to the jibes, several former Australian cricketers joined forces to back the left-handed opener.
David Warner was unstoppable against Pakistan and stormed to his 26th Test hundred. He was also in fine form in the 2023 ODI World Cup.
Now, former Australia wicketkeeper Ian Healey has said Warner has it in him to play Test cricket for at least one more year.
“That 160 he made in the first innings won us a Test in Perth,” Healy said on SEN Breakfast.“It wasn’t easy. I looked at it from afar on Thursday afternoon and I said, ‘Oh, jeez, I wouldn’t like to be Pakistan’, they are going to feel about a foot shorter than they actually are tomorrow afternoon not knowing how difficult the conditions were.
Ian Healey also reckoned that Pakistan erred in their lengths bowling to David Warner.
“Maybe Pakistan missed the trick in the first session (on Day 1), bowling too short, but I don’t know of anyone else that can make 160 that quick in tough conditions,” Healey said.
David Warner, 37, has so far played 110 Test matches and scored 8651 runs. For years, he has been one of the most destructive opening batters across formats but his farewell series was preceded by a controversy sparked by Mitchell Johnson’s column.
David Warner and Steve Smith were embroiled in one of the biggest cricket controversies in recent history after their roles in the ball-tampering scandal in South Africa rocked the sport. Warner was stripped of his vice-captaincy and he was never allowed to lead Australia.
