Watch the emotional moment David Warner celebrates his century against Pakistan as under-fire Australia star silences Mitchell Johnson amid barrage of criticism
- David Warner silenced Mitchell Johnson on Thursday
- He scored a century against Pakistan in Perth
- Warner had been heavily criticised by Johnson in the build up
David Warner has responded to his critics in the best way possible, smashing a century against Pakistan to get his farewell party kicked off in style.
Warner, 37, has been the subject of intense scrutiny in the lead up to the Perth Test this week, with his former teammate Mitchell Johnson questioning the opener’s place in the side.
He has long stated his ambition to leave Test cricket this summer, with a Sydney swansong mooted, but Johnson has insisted Warner is not deserving of such a farewell amid a series of poor performances.
But Warner demonstrated that he has earnt his place in the team, hitting a century on the opening day of the first Test at Optus Stadium.
David Warner was emotional as he hit a stunning century against Pakistan in Perth
The 37-year-old got his summer off to the perfect start with a ton on Day One
His place in the Australia Test team had been called into question amid terrible form
He let out a roar of emotion as he passed triple figures, and sent a message to Johnson and any other critic at the tea break.
‘There is going to be criticism, but you have got to take that and there is no better way to silence it than to put runs on the board,’ he told Adam Gilchrist.
Warner received support from an unlikely source ahead of Thursday’s opening day, with England legend Michael Vaughan defending the opener.
‘He’s one of the greats. I don’t understand why people aren’t talking about him being a great player,’ Vaughan told Fox Cricket.
‘The fact he has made mistakes in the past, I guess, there’s friction there with him and a few ex-players (and) I guess there’s friction there with him and a few Aussie supporters.
‘(But) if you actually put all that to one side and look at his numbers, he’s only had one blip and that’s his batting in England against Stuart Broad around the wicket.
Former teammate Mitchell Johnson questioned whether Warner deserves a farewell party
‘Other than that, he’s pretty much dominated wherever he’s played, and he’s played T20 cricket, 50-over cricket and Test match cricket. His record here in Australia is fantastic.
‘You talk about the greats of the game and I go back to the late 90s and early 2000s, that great Australian side, (and) not many of them have 25 Test match centuries.
‘Yet here we are, with a player like David Warner, who is three Test matches away from saying goodbye, and all the talk is ‘Should he get that opportunity to play in Sydney?’
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