OPINION: Love him or hate him, David Warner should be saluted
David Warner has been a nemesis of South African cricket for a very long time, however one might solely salute the stroppy left-hander for his classic double-century in his one centesimal Test which gave Australia full management of the second Test on the MCG.
A double-hundred in a hundredth match, and a maiden Test Century.
Two new names are added to the MCG Honour Boards.
Congratulations David Warner and Alex Carey! pic.twitter.com/srucKJ7EEU— Melbourne Cricket Ground (@MCG) December 28, 2022
With the build-up to his landmark Test being surrounded by speak of how for much longer he would characteristic within the longest format – his earlier century was practically three years in the past – and off-field drama as he sought to overturn the management ban imposed on him after his scurrilous ball-tampering actions within the earlier Test sequence towards South Africa, Warner was underneath actual strain on the MCG.
But with Kagiso Rabada having dismissed the 36-year-old in his final 5 innings, Warner made the daring assertion that he had maybe been treating bowlers with an excessive amount of respect and he was going to return to his previous, aggressive self within the second Test.
Positive and dedicated
Warner was true to his phrase and his innings was a high-quality show stuffed with all of the attributes which have made him an awesome Test batsman: he introduced an nearly manic depth to the crease, he was optimistic and dedicated to each shot he performed and each run he scampered, pushed by an immense starvation that noticed him plough on by way of extreme cramps led to by searing temperatures that touched 40°.
Warner produced a usually flashy assertion innings on his large day on the cathedral of Australian cricket. Not solely did he develop into the eighth Australian to attain 8000 Test runs, however solely the second (and tenth general) to attain a century in his one centesimal Test. He was not happy and went on to develop into solely the second batsman, England’s Joe Root being the opposite, to make a double-century in his one centesimal Test.
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The lover of sports activities vehicles – he owns a McLaren and a Lamborghini Huracan – emptied the tank on Tuesday on the MCG and whether or not he nonetheless has the will to gasoline his continued presence on the Test stage, with daunting excursions of India and England to come back, stays to be seen.
Let’s hope he continues to grace a very powerful stage of the sport as a result of, no matter it’s possible you’ll consider Warner the individual and his antics, he’s a box-office entertainer.
