It is 14 years since David Warner exploded into the public consciousness with a stunning T20 debut for Australia – and as the end nears on his Test career he delivered an exhilarating moment that paid tribute to his roots.
Warner’s incredible scooped six from a good length ball aimed at the top of off stump from Shaheen Afridi to go from 63 to 69 on the opening day of the first Test against pakistan was an iconic moment to match the shush he sent the way of critics on reaching his century.
Warner, who intends to step aside from Test cricket after the third game of the series in Sydney, has been at the forefront of a revolution in Test cricket – where outlandish and creative shots have entered the mainstream.
The first to react to his brilliant blow was batting partner Usman Khawaja, who like fans and commentators, could barely believe his eyes.
“I actually thought it was shorter than what it was until I saw the replay, and the boys were laughing,” Warner said.
“Uzzy came up and said ‘that’s an unbelievable shot’ and I said ‘it’s a short ball mate, I can ride it’ and he said ‘that wasn’t short mate, that could have been a cover drive’.”
He explained his thought process further: “If they’re going to put fine leg square and the boundary’s like that and some one is bowling 140ks, you’ve got to be brave.
“It’s always in the back of my mind to play that shot, it doesn’t matter what format it is, it’s a scoring shot, and nine times out of 10 they’re bowling a nice length. On this wicket, it’s hard to hit the stumps. I thought with his angle and his pace I could actually ride it, so I just gave it a crack.”
Warner was in typically bullish mood after stumps where he talked about his shush celebration and even teased reporters about his future when it was noted that he had effectively secured his place through to the end of the series.
“It is up to the selectors. If they want to keep continuing to pick me, I ain’t leaving,” he said.
Hang on, is he thinking about playing on?
“No. I’m not.”