David Warner bows out in Tests: Decoding his notable accomplishments
It's the end of David Warner's Test career as the dashing opener bowed out with a match-winning fifty against Pakistan in the third and final Test in Sydney. The southpaw was sensational in his final Test assignment as Australia registered a 3-0 whitewash. Warner finished as Australia's fifth-highest run-getter in Test cricket. Here we decode his notable stats and records.
Warner's performance in his final Test series
Warner clocked a fabulous 164 in the opening Test match in Perth followed by a duck. In the second encounter at the MCG, Warner managed scores of 38 and 6. Meanwhile, in the final encounter, he scored 34 and 57. His tally of 299 runs in the series is only second to Mitchell Marsh's 344. No other batter managed even 225 runs.
Here are his Test numbers
Warner made his Test debut against New Zealand in December 2011 in Brisbane. The 37-year-old finished with 8,786 runs in this format from 112 matches at an average of 44.59. The veteran hammered 26 centuries and 37 fifties in this format. The tally includes three double tons. He scored 5,438 runs at home from 57 Test matches at 57.85 (100s: 20).
Fourth-highest run-getter among Test openers
Warner's tally of 8,747 Test runs while opening the batting is the most for an Australian. He stands fourth in the overall list, only behind England's Alastair Cook (11,845), India's Sunil Gavaskar (9,607), and South Africa's Graeme Smith (9,030). Among batters with at least 6,000 Test runs, Warner's strike rate of 70.19 is only second to India's Virender Sehwag (82.23).
His home, away, and neutral numbers
Warner returned with 5,438 runs at 57.85 in 58 home Tests. The tally includes 20 tons and 15 fifties (200s: 3). Only his compatriot Matthew Hayden (21) owns more Test tons at home while opening the batting. In 51 away Tests (home of opposition), he accumulated 3,065 runs at 31.59. He tallies 283 runs in three neutral Tests at 47.16.
A look at his other notable records
His 335* against Pakistan in the 2019 Adelaide Test is the fifth-highest individual score for a Test opener. It is also the highest unbeaten score for an opener. Warner is among the three batters to slam twin tons in a Test on three occasions. Ricky Ponting and Gavaskar are the others with this feat. On two occasions, Warner clobbered three successive Test tons.
Warner has starred against these teams
A major chunk of Warner's Test runs have come against England (2,173 at 36.83). Pakistan (1,552 at 73.90) are the only other team against which Warner owns 1,500-plus Test runs. India (1,218 at 31.23), New Zealand (1,081 at 67.56), and South Africa (1,415 at 52.40) are the other teams against which the veteran managed over 1,000 Test runs.
The black chapter in Warner's Test career
Warner, alongside teammates Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft, was reprimanded for his involvement in the 2018 ball-tampering scandal against South Africa. The infamous event took place in the Cape Town Test. The southpaw was handed a 12-month ban and a lifetime leadership ban. The 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup marked his return to international cricket. Meanwhile, besides Tests, he has also retired from ODIs.
