David Warner: 8,000+ Test Runs, Ashes 2013–14 Rampage, and Australia's Modern Opening Batter
David Warner played 100+ Tests for Australia from 2011, scoring 8,000+ Test runs at 44.00+ average with 26+ centuries. He became the first player since Don Bradman to score a century before lunch on day one of a Test match (vs New Zealand at Brisbane, 2015). He scored 612 runs at 61.20 in the 2013–14 Ashes (Australia won 5–0). He served a one-year ICC ban following the 2018 Cape Town ball-tampering incident and was initially banned from ever holding a leadership position in cricket again (a sanction later lifted in 2023).
David Warner has played 100+ Tests for Australia from 2011, scoring 8,000+ runs at over 44 average with 26+ centuries. His aggressive opening style — favouring pulls, hooks, and cover drives in the first session — made him one of the most exciting Test openers of his generation.
Century Before Lunch — Bradman's Company
On 5 November 2015 at Brisbane, Warner scored a century before lunch on day one of the first Test against New Zealand — an achievement only Don Bradman had accomplished in Test cricket before him. Warner reached 104* at the lunch break off 88 balls (including 11 fours and 4 sixes), having come to the wicket at the start of play. He went on to score 163 in the session. Australia won the match inside three days.
The 335* at Perth
In January 2019, Warner scored 335* against Pakistan at Perth Stadium in the first Test of a two-match series — the highest Test score by an Australian since Bobby Simpson's 311 in 1964. Warner batted for 499 minutes across four sessions, hitting 39 fours and 4 sixes. Australia declared at 589/3. Warner's 335* surpassed Matthew Hayden's 380 (set in 2003 vs Zimbabwe) as the highest score at the then-new Perth Stadium, though Hayden's 380 was at a different venue.
Frequently asked questions
Why was David Warner's lifetime captaincy ban — imposed after Cape Town 2018 — eventually lifted in 2023, and what was the review process?
Warner's captaincy ban: imposition, structure, and 2023 review. Cape Town 2018: Cricket Australia (CA) conducted an investigation and found that Warner had instructed Cameron Bancroft to use sandpaper on the ball. As the senior player who initiated and directed the plan, Warner was found to have a greater degree of culpability than Smith (who knew but did not direct) or Bancroft (who executed). CA imposed: (1) a 12-month playing ban; (2) a lifetime ban from leadership positions (captain, vice-captain) in Australian cricket. The ban was the first of its kind in Australian cricket history. Why it was contested: Warner's legal team, and some cricket commentators, argued that the lifetime ban was disproportionate — especially after Warner served his 12-month ban, publicly apologised, and returned to strong playing form. The 2023 review: Warner applied to CA for a review panel in late 2023 before his anticipated retirement (he was considering retiring and wanted his legacy formalised). CA convened an independent review panel. In February 2023, after hearings, CA lifted the lifetime leadership ban — meaning Warner would have been eligible for leadership positions going forward. Warner announced his retirement from Test cricket on 8 January 2024 at the SCG — in his final Test. The review outcome did not change his decision to retire.