David Warner’s ‘cop that’ to Mitchell Johnson after Perth Test century

David Warner scooped the ball over the slips for six, punched the sky and then turned his attention to the commentary box – his critics know they had been well and truly silenced.

David Warner celebrates his century against Pakistan. Picture: Getty Images

David Warner scooped the ball over the slips for six, punched the sky and then turned his attention to the commentary box – his critics know they had been well and truly silenced.

This century was as bitter as it was sweet.

There’s a rich tradition of batters berating critics on reaching three figures – Steve Waugh, Simon Katich and even Phillip Hughes did it at points in their career – but few went into a Test match with such sustained clamour about their right to a place in the side.

Maybe this one was specifically for his old teammate Mitchell Johnson, who had written a particularly acerbic opinion piece in the lead-up to the Test. Warner was certainly looking that way and he would have taken note of the West Australian former quick working in the Triple M radio box.

“There’s going to be criticism, but you’ve got to take that, and there’s no better way to silence them than by putting runs on the boards,” was all Warner would say as he walked off for tea.

There was, however, no mistaking how fierce the batsman appeared after the initial jubilation at scoring his 26th centuryin what is his last Test series. His 150 included 16 fours and three sixes but he was lucky, dropped twice on the way.

“It’s my job to come out here and score runs, that was from the get-go to put pressure on the Pakistani bowlers, and we were able to do that,” Warner said.

“It’s just another Test match hundred for Australia. It’s something we try as best we can to do. It feels great but there’s a lot of runs out there to be put on the board for the bowlers to bowl at. If you put it in the right areas, it’s challenging.”

At stumps, Australia were 5-346.

The critics will say the bowling attack wasn’t much chop and the wicket not exactly testing, but Usman Khawaja (41), Steve Smith (31) and Marnus Labuschagne (16) did not get close, and the critics might want to find a replacement who could peel off 12 boundaries, including a magnificent lap-scoop six off Shaheen Shah Afridi, before lunch had been served.

Some aren’t for changing on Warner, as is their prerogative, but if runs alone are measure of a batter, he has passed Matthew Hayden’s career 8625 and done it with a strike rate of over 70. The Queenslander hit a hard ball but his strike rate was 60.

Khawaja said before play he was wearing the burden of his convictions heavily, his mind constantly on matters half a world away, but he promised the moment he crossed the rope to begin the innings, his focus would be on cricket alone. The messages on his shoes were taped up, but he showed his defiance by wearing the black armband of mourning.

There were some streaky shots early, a couple of boundaries through the slips for boundaries from Afridi’s first over and a chance on 21 when Abdullah Shafique spilt a top edge that flew high and behind slips, but Khawaja got through to lunch undefeated.

Pakistan, as expected, struggled to get it right, especially in the early sessions. Its two medium pacers, Ajmer Jamal and Faheem Shahzad, both on debut, lack pace and experience in these or any other conditions when it comes to Test cricket.

It didn’t help that captain Shan Masood misfielded a shot from Warner off the third ball of the day that you would have expected a junior player to stop. The visitors have not won a Test match in Australia since last century and while the side has resolved to play with some abandon, as England demonstrated, that is a licence for batters to let it all hang out but rarely applies to the fielding innings.

It is the perfect storm for Pakistan because Warner’s record is far better at home, where he has scored 20 of his 26 Test hundreds. The opener has destroyed Pakistan in the past: in 2017, he scored a 78-ball century before lunch at the SCG, the next tour he knocked up 335 not out at Adelaide.

The Australians were particularly aggressive toward Afridi in the first spell, knocking the bowler around in the hope to take down Pakistan’s kingpin.

Pakistan, to its credit, began the second session better, Afridi picking up Khawaja caught behind, and Ashraf ducking one into the pads of Marnus Labuschagne when the No.3 was on 16.

Before play, Warner had lightheartedly expressed his frustration over the controversy about nominating a retirement date ahead of time, moaning that Nathan Lyon has flagged his intention to play another four years.

The opener has struggled in recent years, averaging around 30 in Test cricket, and that number was bolstered by a double century at the MCG last year that broke a long dry spell. He has, however, looked to have settled since last summer in Australia and has shown good signs at the crease during the winter months.

Clearly the selectors rate him to be a better prospect than any of those waiting in the wings to assume his position. Warner’s ability to score swiftly is critical, allowing Khawaja to move at a more comfortable pace and placing pressure back on the bowlers.