- David Warner has gone 29 innings without a Test century for Australia.
- Warner is preparing for his 100th Test for the Aussies.
- Warner posted scores of 5, 48, 21, and 28 against the Windies.
Opening batsman David Warner admits his greatest stretch of innings without a century in the longest format of the game is a distraction as he prepares for his 100th Test for Australia in the second game of the series against South Africa at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), which begins on Monday.
The 36-year-old has been going through a hard patch, battling with his form and being sidetracked by the drama with Cricket Australia regarding appealing his leadership ban after withdrawing from the process because he was dissatisfied with the federation’s handling of the process.
In his most recent three Test matches, Warner made scores of 5, 48, 21, and 28 against the Windies before posting 3 and 0 against South Africa in the two-day match at the Gabba. Despite scoring a century in his most recent ODI innings against England at the MCG last month, he now has gone 29 innings without a century.
He claimed, though, that he is still motivated to perform well after his 100th Test match on Boxing Day and is still hungry for runs.
“Leading into the Perth Test, my mental health probably wasn’t where I needed it to be at to be 100 percent,” Warner told reporters on Saturday.
“And that was challenging. If I had it my way, we would have had it all sorted (by then). From the CA’s point of view, I didn’t really have any support. My teammates and the staff in our team were absolutely amazing, and my family and friends — they really got me through that period.
“I’m in a great headspace now … I’m pumped to play another Boxing Day Test, and more importantly we’ve got a series that’s on the line.” The left-hander is adamant he still has the hunger for tours of India and England, Australia’s two overseas Test assignments in 2023 that captain Pat Cummins has labelled as “career-defining”, said in a report.
Since 2001, when they last won the Ashes series abroad, no Australian men’s side has triumphed in either India or England during a Test series. In India, their most recent victory was in 2004.
After the final game of the home series against the Proteas in Sydney, Warner said he hoped to engage with CA representatives.
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