Whilst Australia have been busy battering New Zealand at the Gabba in Brisbane this week, one statistic from that game which has been largely overlooked is the feat of one D A Warner in becoming only the third man in history to score twin centuries in a Test match on three occasions.
Warner’s 163 in the first innings was circumspect by his own standards, taking a comparatively pedestrian 224 balls to compile. But with a large lead, the second innings was a different tale as he went into one-day mode and smashed his way to 116 from just 113 balls. Alongside him in the onslaught was Joe Burns who, in only his third Test, is now inked into the history books as part of the only opening pair ever to put on partnerships of 150 and 200 in the same game.
There are just 80 instances in Test match history of a player making twin centuries in a match. Warner is now on the list three times after his twin tons against New Zealand in Brisbane this week. Only Sunil Gavaskar and Ricky Ponting are on the list three times. The mighty Sir Donald Bradman only makes the list once in the twilight of his career against India in 1948. Only 23 openers have ever achieved the feat, so for Warner to have now done this three times is pretty special.
If Warner’s feat of hitting his third Test twin century is a cause for celebration, it’s his rise to prominence over the last two years that has been particularly eye-catching.
After making his debut for Australia’s T20 and ODI teams in 2009, Warner had to wait until the end of 2011 to make his Test match debut against New Zealand. Solid performances followed for his first 18 months as a Test opener, but his temperament was called into question and he was banned from the first two Tests of the 2013 Ashes in England after punching Joe Root in a bar after the Champions Trophy match between the two teams.
Warner was reinstated for the final three matches in that Ashes series, and was the pantomime villain for the English crowds during the remainder of the summer (although whether that was to do with the Joe Root punch or the 80s moustache sitting proudly on top of his lip is difficult to tell). His performances with the bat in the rest of that series were quiet, averaging just 23 from six innings and making only one half-century.
It was, however, the return of the old enemy in Australia a few months later in the winter of 2013 that fired Warner into taking his game up another level. He scored 523 runs in that Ashes series at an average of 58 and he then took that form to South Africa where he passed 50 in five of the six innings played, making tons in three of those innings. Indeed, it was in Cape Town in March 2014 that he made the first of his twin centuries, taking 135 and 145 off a South African attack featuring Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander and Morne Morkel.
Another set of twin centuries for David Warner followed against India at Adelaide in December 2014 before the latest set this week against the Kiwis. Since the end of that Ashes summer in 2013 after being banned from the team, Warner’s average in Tests stands at a mighty 60.16, having scored 2,527 runs in the last two years. When you consider this is a man that comes out to open the batting against the new ball, that’s really quite some going.
It’s not all been plain sailing in the last two years however, and Warner’s combustible temperament continues to surface every now and then. There have still been verbal spats with opponents, with Warner notably having to deny accusations of racism in an altercation with Indian batsman Rohit Sharma in January 2015.
In the last couple of weeks, Warner’s also taken aim at New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum. With McCullum being one of the most popular figures in world cricket at the moment, it’s not something that is going to endear Warner to a great many people, but then you get the impression that’s hardly likely to bother Australia’s new vice-captain. After all, getting under the skin of opponents appears to be something that Warner relishes.
That being said, with a Test average sitting just a shade under 50, Warner’s cricket is clearly doing a lot of the talking at the moment, although a Test match double hundred continues to evade him. With Virender Sehwag having recently announced his retirement from international cricket, the mantle of being the world’s most dashing opener sits firmly on Warner’s shoulders. As his stock continues to rise and his average continues to climb, it seems like it’s a title that fits nicely. Who would bet against him becoming the first man in history to score four twin centuries?
