Sir Viv Richards: Veteran Australian opener David Warner clarified that he made a ‘shush’ gesture was pointed directly to his critics following his Test century on the opening day of the first Test against Pakistan at Perth Stadium and said that he is allowed “to celebrate the way he want.”
Warner’s position in the Test side became a subject of public debate following an explosive column from former pace ace Mitchell Johnson, who criticised him in a column for the local West Australian newspaper.
But the 36-year-old batter silenced the critics with a swashbuckling century 164 off 211 balls in his farewell Test series as no other Australian passed fifty in their Day 1 total of 346 for 5 on Thursday.
“You saw what it was – it was a nice little quiet shush,” Warne told reporters at stumps as quoted by cricket.com.au. When asked who the ‘shush’ was directed at, he added: “Just at anyone who wants to write stories about me and try to get headlines. That stuff doesn’t bother me. I’m allowed to celebrate how I want.”
When inquired about his intentions to reconcile his broken relationship with Johnson, with whom he played in a winning World Cup and Ashes, Warner referred Justin Langer’s follow-up column in the same newspaper that Johnson should have “praised in public and criticised in private.”
“Mitch is entitled to his opinion, he’s a former player,” Warner said while insisting the saga over his place in the team had not distracted him.
“I don’t feel any extra pressure, I don’t feel (like I have) any other points I have to prove,” said Warner, who went past Michael Clarke and Matthew Hayden into fifth among Australia’s all-time Test run scorers with his 26th red-ball hundred,” he said.
“I am getting older, so your games are limited. It’s probably game-by-game now. If I fail next innings, there will probably be headlines. If people are out to get you, or make a headline from your name, then so be it. I can’t worry about that, I’m going to worry about what I’m going to do for the team.
“I’ve got to keep scoring runs and putting my team in a great position,” added Warner.
En route to his incredible innings against Pakistan, Warner entered the top five run-getters for Australia in Test cricket, leapfrogging Matthew Hayden and Michael Clarke. In the all-time list, his big hundred helped him surpass fellow swashbucklers Sir Viv Richards and Virender Sehwag.
He now stands fifth among Australia’s highest Test run-getters with 8651 runs, trailing only Steve Smith, Steve Waugh, Allan Border and Ricky Ponting.