David Warner, an experienced opener, hit an unbeaten hundred to quiet critics and lead Australia to 210-2 at tea in the first Test against Pakistan in Perth. The 37-year-old was on 111 at the break, and Steve Smith was still not out on 21.
Pakistan’s bowlers did get paid for their hard work in the sweltering heat when they got rid of Usman Khawaja for 41 soon after lunch and then Marnus Labuschagne for 16. The home team won the toss and chose to bat first. Warner stepped up under pressure to score runs, and his stated goal was to say goodbye to the five-day game in front of his home fans in Sydney during the third Test.
David Warner’s century puts Australia 210-2 at tea against Pakistan
Before the game, former paceman Mitchell Johnson asked if Warner earned a hero’s send-off after his recent bad red-ball form and his role in the 2018 ball-tampering scandal. In his 110th Test, the left-hander answered in his usual valiant way, hitting 15 fours and one huge six in 149 balls.
He confidently hit a single off Shaheen Shah Afridi’s first ball in the first over, which let 14 runs in, and he never looked back. He lived dangerously on a pitch with bounce, but he calmed down and got to fifty off of just 41 balls with a boundary from Faheem Ashraf.
After lunch, his strike rate slowed as he moved closer to his 26th Test hundred. He reached three figures off of 125 balls with an uppercut boundary off newcomer Aamer Jamal. He celebrated with his famous leap and soaked up the cheers.
To show support for the people of Gaza, Khawaja wore a black sleeve. He was happy to be second fiddle. On 25, Abdullah Shafique dropped him after fumbling his catch of a badly hit pull shot. This was a huge let-off.
But when Pakistan’s bowlers got back to work after lunch, he was out. Wicketkeeper Sarfaraz Ahmed caught him behind off of Afridi’s bowling. Labuschagne looked good. He got to 16 quickly before being out lbw because Ashraf threw a ball that hit him. He looked over the choice again, but it hit him on the leg stump with a flush.
Smith hit a four through midwicket with his second ball to show that he was serious and wasn’t worried. They haven’t won a Test series in Australia since 1995, and they haven’t won a Test there either.
In both games played in Australia four years ago, they lost by an innings because Warner got 154 and 335 not out, which looked bad. Australia only made one change from their last Test, which was in July against England. Spinner Nathan Lyon is now healthy enough to play again, so the team as a whole. Jamal and Khurram Shahzad, two pacemen, played their first games for Pakistan under their new captain, Shan Masood.
Squads
Australia: David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey. Pat Cummins (capt), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.
Pakistan: Shan Masood (capt), Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha. Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Aamer Jamal, Khurram Shahzad.
