FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

Sports

​Wow, Warner, Wow: The Matraville Mauler Just Had A Week To Remember

Back-to-back centuries, back-to-back Allan Border Medals, and more broken records than you can poke a Kashmir willow at.

Australia's opening batsmen, David Warner just put together one of the greatest weeks in the history of Australian cricket. His innings of 179 runs off 128 balls against Pakistan last night was the icing on a seven day hot-streak that saw several records tumble. Among them:

  • The biggest partnership in Australian One Day International (ODI) history (284 runs) with fellow opener, Travis Head (128 runs from 137 balls).
  • A personal best for his fastest ODI half-century (34 balls) and century (78 balls).
  • The first batsmen to score four ODI centuries in an Australian summer.
  • His average of 91.7 runs per innings for the 2016/2017 season puts him miles ahead of his nearest rival.
  • He is now tied with Sri Lankan Kumar Sangakarra for the most ODI centuries in a season (six).

Last night's innings was made all the more remarkable by the fact he was dropped on the very first ball by Pakistan (and once more on 130). Two days earlier, Warner became only the fourth player in history to win the Allan Border Medal more than once (given to the most outstanding Australian cricketer of the past season). A day before that he'd blasted 130 runs off 119 balls to help Australia to a resounding ODI series win over Pakistan with a game still to spare.

With a ludicrously high batting average of 91.7 runs per innings in the ODI arena, Warner is also on track to claim the ODI Player of the Year Award. The records might have continued to tumble had he not foregone his place in the Australian squad for the upcoming One Day series against New Zealand, citing the need for a rest before Australia heads to India for the Test series.

As an aside, the composed, gritty Warner of today is a long way from the insolent though likeable punk we lined up against as youths in the South Sydney club cricket competition. That Warner, who was a lot closer to the Matraville Mauler tag than the current version, was famous for infuriating his coaches by batting both left and right handed during the same innings (he has somehow managed to develop the ability to bat ambidextrously). Not that it stopped him carting us all over the ground for hours on end.