Record-breaking Warner 'honoured' after blitzkrieg hundred
Sydney, by Tristan Lavalette •
Last updated on Tue, 03 Jan, 2017, 03:17 PM
David Warner - Starting the year with a bang
When the astounding first session of the third Test ended, the downbeat Pakistanis made a beeline to David Warner, who had incredibly scored a century off a mere 78 balls, in a show of genuine sportsmanship. They were predictably downtrodden, after being battered and bruised from the opener's repeated jabs, but it was only appropriate to acknowledge Warner's historical deeds. After all, only four batsmen previously had scored a ton in the opening session of a Test.
The SCG crowd - disappointingly only at half capacity - shot up to their feet basking in having been part of a feat never achieved previously on Australian soil. Given the third Test was only in its infancy, it was quite surreal the mayhem that had already gone before - a period in the match generally reserved for sedateness and settling into the long haul. Almost everyone at the ground were in disbelief of what had transpired, probably because no one had experienced anything remotely like it.
There are seemingly lots of trivial statistics in cricket, a sport consumed by numbers, but Warner's electric century before lunch was simply astonishing. Glancing at his achievement required multiple double takes.
Warner became the first batsman in more than 40 years to score a century in the opening session of a Test and he broke his own record - achieved 12 months ago - of the fastest century at the SCG. Only four batsmen previously have achieved the coveted feat, including the hallowed figures of Sir Donald Bradman and Victor Trumper, and none had occurred in Australia.
Because of his innate destructiveness, Warner - along with his hero Virender Sehwag, who coincidentally once scored 99 in an opening session of a Test - always seemed capable of doing what no batsman could for the last four decades.
Still, realistically, being able to score a century in the opening two hours of a Test always appeared far-fetched even for Warner, a batsman capable of eliciting fumes from his willow. However, on this day, which will forever be part of cricket annals, the 30-year-old's prodigious gifts memorably came together during his 95-ball 113.
After such a demoralising defeat in Melbourne to lose the series, there was every indication that Pakistan would be mentally shot and Warner undoubtedly could sense their fragility. The vice-captain was intent on making a statement from the get go but, wisely, he didn't do anything out of the ordinary - unlike some forgettable dismissals earlier in the summer.
Warner bullied Pakistani spearhead Mohammad Amir and, particularly, Imran Khan, smashing eight boundaries in his first 23 balls. After six overs, Australia were rampant at 0 for 40 - Warner astonishingly had 38 of them. He wasn't doing anything particularly audacious but just smashing loose balls, which were delivered at abundance. Truth be told, he was gifted runs due to Pakistan's dreary bowlers continually hitting Warner's sweet spot in a mishmash of wayward bowling.
At the press conference after the day's play, Warner revealed he started thinking about achieving his breathtaking century 25 minutes before lunch and said it was an "honour" to re-write the record books. "It's rewarding as an individual but I was just happy to get the guys off to a great start," he said. "Today was more about the ball not swinging, I felt I could go a little bit harder and take them on. I always ride my luck... I live by the sword and die by the sword."
Approaching lunch, the crowd was hollering for the vice-captain to be on strike with Warner on the cusp of history. However, Renshaw seemingly was the only roadblock for Warner's historical feats as pressure mounted on the youngster to rotate the strike - something he notoriously struggled with during an excruciating stretch of 21 consecutive dot balls.
"(I was) never frustrated," Warner said of that period. "Credit him (Renshaw), look at the way he's played. He's a young kid and to bat through the whole day is fantastic."
With two consecutive memorable hundreds, Warner has stunningly returned to imperious form in the Test arena after lengthy struggles in 2016 where he went nine straight Tests without a ton. He revealed the rut frustrated him and believed the turning point came during Australia's embarrassing loss to South Africa in Hobart two months ago.
"I was stressing about my high expectations I set on myself," Warner said. "I hadn't scored as many runs as I would have liked. I worked as hard as I could in the nets... couldn't work out why I wasn't making runs in the middle. It caught me by surprise. I look back at the South African series... to their credit they kept bowling on the one spot and it was hard for me to negate," he added. "Hobart was an innings (45 from 78 balls) where I really (ground) it out in the second innings. That was where I dug deeper."
Forming an alluring burgeoning partnership, as evidenced by a 151-run stand on the third Test's first day, Warner said he enjoyed opening with Renshaw. "He's a bit different to Shaun Marsh, who is a guy who likes to go after it as well... we complement each other," he said. "You saw it today, he's got the mental capacity to bat the whole day and get through the tough times. He's got a bright future ahead of him."
Warner's rapid pace had the potential to unnerve the youngster but Renshaw said he aimed to stick with his mode of batting. "That first session was a whirlwind, Davey was smoking them and I was trudging along on not many," he told reporters after play. "I was trying not to keep up with him."
There was a moment of trepidation when Renshaw was felled by Amir's searing bouncer when on 91. Fortunately, the 20-year-old was able to continue batting and shortly after notched his maiden ton. "(The team doctor) asked me if I was ok... I just wanted to be out there and not retire hurt on 91," Renshaw said.
There has been some pessimism about Renshaw's supposed susceptibilities against the turning ball and whether he could cope on the hot bed of Indian pitches. In a highly impressive display on the SCG, albeit on a flat pitch with rampant turn not evident as yet, Renshaw dominated Pakistani legspinner Yasir Shah - made notable by aggressive footwork.
The youngster said he was not thinking about the looming crux tour of India. "It should be a good experience if I'm selected," he said. "But we have a Test match to win and I've got to keep batting tomorrow morning so I have to concentrate on that."
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