While controversies often affect the performance of a player on the cricket field, that might not hold true for openers David Warner and Usman Khawaja. On the opening day of the first Australia vs Pakistan Test in Perth, the duo came up with smashing performances to silence their critics.
In the first session of play, Warner, who is playing his last Test series, scored 72 from 67 balls, hitting 11 boundaries, and a towering six. On the other hand, Khawaja, who is going through the trauma of the ‘shoe controversy’, also scored a resilient 37 from 84 balls, to push the Pakistanis on the backfoot.
Both Warner and Khawaja, during their innings, showed that they are great players, despite the outside noises, and nothing else matters once they cross the ropes.
The Warner-Khawaja Controversies, In a Nutshell
It was only last week, that former Australia pacer Mitchell Johnson made a scathing remark on Warner, saying the latter does not deserve a ‘hero send-off’. A lot was said about the same, but Warner chose to answer on the field instead.
Similarly, Khawaja wanted to show solidarity to people in Palestine and Gaza but was denied to do so. There were people supporting, and disagreeing with him, but he silenced them all with his innings in Perth.
Pakistan on Backfoot, Shaheen Afridi Leaks Runs
In what was a disastrous beginning for the Pakistanis, their bowlers ended up giving way too many runs. Shaheen Afridi, their bowling mainstay was taken to the cleaner by Warner, and he ended up conceding 45 runs in just nine overs. Faheem Ashraf was also expensive leading 29 in four overs.
