Australia opening batter David Warner has carried on with his stupendous ODI form against Pakistan on the back of scoring a fourth consecutive century in the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 Match 18 in Bengaluru. Coming on the back of three consecutive centuries against this opposition in this format, Warner has progressed a step further by scoring a fourth one in as many innings.
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Usually a paradise for batters, the pitch at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium didn’t deter from its ineradicable nature to assist Australian openers Warner and Mitchell Marsh (121) in putting together a 203-ball 259-run partnership. Warner, who is part of the Top Four ODI opening stands for Australian batters, registered a third-highest partnership alongside Marsh in this aspect.
Having started opening not too long ago, the pair reached to the third spot after bettering Warner and former captain Aaron Finch‘s unbeaten 258-run partnership against India in Mumbai three years ago.
David Warner Completes 4th Consecutive Century Against Pakistan
Second instance of him scoring these many runs, Warner ended up amassing 163 (124) with the help of 14 fours and nine sixes at a strike rate of 131.45. Warner, who has a thing for daddy hundreds at the highest level, scored his joint fifth-highest individual score on Friday.
In what is his 21st ODI hundred, it is Warner’s sixth away from home, fourth against Pakistan and in Asia, third in India and second at this ground, in 2023 and under captain Pat Cummins. Warner, who now shares the joint-eighth position in the list of most ODI tons, has further increased his lead at the second spot among Aussies.
As far as consecutive centuries are concerned, Warner has scored three Test centuries in a row twice and two thrice. Known for being able to milk runs when in top form, the left-handed batter punished the Pakistani bowlers who were seldom able to disrupt his rhythm today.
David Warner Had Scored Maiden Century Against Pakistan Six Years Ago
Three and a half years after his ODI debut, Warner had played his first match against Pakistan in Sharjah 11 years ago. In the next five years, Warner never really got going against this opposition on the back of scoring 260 runs across 10 innings at an average and strike rate of 26 and 71.03 respectively.
Having said that, it was during the fourth ODI of Pakistan’s tour of Australia 2017 when the 36-year old player finally managed to break ODI shackles against Pakistan. In what was his 12th ODI ton, Warner had scored 130 (119) comprising 11 fours and two sixes at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
In the last of a five-match ODI series, readers must note that Warner ensured the first of his three instances of scoring successive ODI centuries. Playing at the Adelaide Oval, he had scored a career-best 179 (128) at a strike rate of 139.84. Warner, whose following ODI against Pakistan was an ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 league match in Taunton, had scored 107 (111) in another match-winning effort.
A commonality in both Warner’s World Cup hundreds against Pakistan is him receiving reprieves in the form of easy catches being dropped. While Asif Ali had put a simple catching opportunity down at third-man four years ago, Usama Mir and Abdullah Shafique gave Warner a couple of chances in the latest match. It is worth of a mention that Warner had completed his century before the dropped catch back in the day. As far as this match is concerned, Mir and Shafique dropped Warner when he was batting on 10 and 105 respectively.
Facing Pakistan after more than four years on Friday, Warner didn’t let an opportunity of scoring his fifth World Cup hundred go waste. If all these four innings are combined, Warner’s 579 runs have come at an average of 144.75 and a strike rate of 120.12.
