David Andrew Warner: Jack of All Formats, Master of Tests

#DavidWarner is the third-highest run-getter among openers in 147 years of Test cricket.

David Warner has announced retirement from ODI cricket following Test retirement.

Image: PTI

When a 22-year old David Warner set his foot in the international cricketing arena in 2009, he was perceived to be best suited for the shortest format of the game.

In his first T20I which happened against the Proteas, Warner slammed a 43 ball 83 laced with two consecutive sixes off the bowler who he calls his toughest opponent - Dale Steyn.  

A week later, he made his ODI debut against the same opponents in Hobart. Warner's explosive 69 in his second ODI hinted at his rare talent, but as the matches unfolded, his form dwindled, leading to his exclusion. Determined, he fought his way back and shone in T20s, emerging as a standout during Australia's early 2009 T20 World Cup exit in England and in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Interestingly, during his IPL days ahead of the T20 World Cup, his Delhi Daredevils (now known as Delhi Capitals) skipper Virender Sehwag advised Warner to focus more on red ball cricket.

“When I went to Delhi, (Virender) Sehwag watched me a couple of times and said to me, ‘You’ll be a better Test cricketer than what you will be a Twenty20 player’. I told him I hadn’t even played first-class cricket yet and he said, ‘All the fielders are around the bat. If the ball is there in your zone, you’re still going to hit it. You’re going to have ample opportunity to score runs’.”

Sehwag’s words stayed with Warner. It took him almost two years to get under the radar of the selectors for the longest format, before he earned his first Baggy Green in the 2011 series against New Zealand. He made only 15 runs in his first Test but in the second, he marked his presence with a career-defining century in Hobart, becoming the 13th Australian opener to carry his bat through an innings in December 2011.

Warner showcased his aggressive batting by smashing a remarkable 180 against India at the WACA in the very next series in January 2012 and year later, struck a superb 119 against South Africa at the Adelaide Oval to move closer to cementing his place.

Warner celebrating after hitting a century against Indian in 2012.

Image: ICC

Batting Brilliance in Test Cricket

Nearly 15 years and 350 international caps later, David Warner, at the age of 37, has walked away from Test cricket.

It was in June of last year, during the Ashes, that Warner had expressed his desire to play his farewell Test at his home ground, the Sydney Cricket Ground against Pakistan - an opponent against whom he achieved his career best batting figures of 335 not out in 2019. It's taken him a few battles and some face-offs with former legends along the way, but when Australia lined up for the SCG Test on 3 January, he walked out on the field alongside his three daughter, one last time in whites.

Imagine this: a guy snags an IPL deal just a month before his first-class debut, and now he's the third-highest run-getter among openers in 147 years of Test cricket. Warner leaves as Australia's fifth-highest Test run-scorer with a whopping 8500 runs. And guess what? His aggregate in runs and centuries for Australia across formats only come second to the legendary Ricky Ponting. 

Warner's got more Test runs for Australia than cricket legends like Michael Clarke, Matthew Hayden, Steve Waugh, Steve Smith, Justin Langer, Mark Taylor, David Boon and Gregg Chappel. With 26 centuries, an average of 44.58, and a striking 70.26, he's in a league of his own. Among Australia's top 15 run-scorers, only Hayden comes close to his strike rate, but he's still 10.16 runs per hundred balls behind.

Since donning the baggy green for the first time, the 37-year old has smashed over 2000 more runs than the next best opener, Alastair Cook, and bagged ten more centuries than the second-placed Dimuth Karunaratne. Just to put it in context, openers from New Zealand, West Indies, and Bangladesh together have fewer Test centuries (22, 18, and 12 respectively) than Warner alone. 

While he was a formidable force on home turf, the Aussie struggled overseas until the 2013 Ashes. From the summer Test of 2013/14 to 2018, his Test figures skyrocketed. Between October 2013 and March 2018, he scored 4962 runs at 52.79, and 18 of his 26 Test hundreds came during this period. In 2014, he averaged 63.66 at home and 43.22 away, hitting all six of his away hundreds, four of which came in only six innings.

Warner wasn't just a powerhouse in Test cricket; he lit up the 20-over format too. Winning Orange Caps in IPL 2015 and 2017, and amassing a whopping 848 runs in 2016 and leading SRH to their maiden IPL triumph, he showcased his versatility as a batter. Like an artist with contrasting strokes, Warner painted masterpieces on the canvases of both T20 and Test cricket.

For his national side in T20s, since his debut against South Africa in 2009, Warner's journey has been a tumultuous ride. With 99 T20Is under his belt, he's hammered 2894 runs, featuring a century and 24 half-centuries at a lightning-fast strike rate of 141.31.

Ball-Tampering Controversy

Warner's cricket journey had its share of drama, and 2018 was the lowest point in his career. The sandpaper saga in Cape Town led to a year's ban for him and Steve Smith with a lifetime leadership ban, while Cameron Bancroft faced only a nine-month timeout.

Fast forward to the ultimate comeback story in the 2019 ODI World Cup: Warner's bat stormed back, scoring two hundreds in the competition after an undefeated 89 against Afghanistan. 

Along with becoming one of the ten players to make a century in his 100th Test match, Warner also emerged as the second player, behind Joe Root, to achieve a double hundred in 2022.

One Day Wonders

Ahead of his Test retirement, the veteran Aussie also announced that he would be hanging up his boots from the ODI format as well.

While Warner's ODI legacy might not be comparable to his numbers in the shortest and longest formats, it still merits a standing ovation. He has represented his nation in just 161 ODIs since his debut, while 24 players who started the career at the same time have been more frequent flyers in the format. Nevertheless, with 6932 runs, 22 tons, a 45+ average, and a lightning-fast 95+ strike rate, Warner stands tall in an elite club of three.

In the world of ODIs, Warner may have clocked in at 18th place with 161 games, but his century game is a different story. With 22 centuries to his credit, he's just shy of Ricky Ponting's record of 29. Not to forget Ponting had 205 more innings. Warner and Virat Kohli are tied for eighth place in terms of most centuries. Warner is now Australia's sixth-highest run scorer in ODIs and his career-best 179 against Pakistan in 2017 is the fourth-highest Australian score ever.

Warner had a century-hitting binge in 2016 and struck seven in ODIs. It is the second-highest total ever for a calendar year, only surpassed by the legendary nine set by Tendulkar in 1998. In just 93 innings, he accelerated over 4000 ODI runs, making him the sixth fastest player in the world in addition to being the quickest Australian. Warner achieved 4000, 5000, and 6000 ODI runs faster than anyone else in the land Down Under.

Glenn Maxwell and David Warner celebrate with the trophy after winning the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 on 19 November 2023.

(Photo: PTI)

World Cup Marvels

Warner’s trophy cabinet is a marvel to behold. Player of the tournament in the the 2021 T20 World Cup win, rocked the Aussie colours during the 2015 and 2023 ODI World Cup victories and was a key player in the 2023 World Test Championship triumph.

With a total of 1527 runs, he's the sixth-highest run-scorer ever, trailing only legends like Sachin Tendulkar. In Aussie terms, he's second only to Ponting. He’s notched up six in World Cups, tying with Tendulkar for second place. He emerged as Australia's highest run-getter in 2015 after smashing 345 runs in eight matches, and an incredible 535 runs in eleven matches in 2023.

In David Warner's cricket story, where every win is like a golden musical note, there's a missing tune—the Champions Trophy. With a career full of Test and ODI successes, the Australian opener hints at a hero's last act. If the team calls, he's ready to bring out the retirement cape for the 50-over Champions Trophy in Pakistan next year, adding a dramatic melody to his illustrious tale.