David Warner's 26th Test century propels Australia to 346/5 on Day 1
Perth/UNI: David Warner's 164 propelled Australia to 346/5 at the end of Day 1 of the first Test against Pakistan at the Optus Stadium here on Thursday.

Warner started scrappily, but gained confidence as his innings rode on, and came up with some gorgeous shots to bring up a 26th Test century. This came in at a time when his position in the team was in question, but the Aussie opener answered his critics with his usual aggressive manner.
Pakistan's inexperienced bowling lineup didn't exactly disgrace themselves, they toiled hard and didn't get the help from their fielders. Usman Khawaja was put down once, Warner was let-off twice and they did beat the bat numerous times.
Just before tea, Warner reached his century and thereafter ensured Pakistan did not come back, despite their improved bowling in the post-lunch session.
He stitched 126-run stand with his opening partner Usman Khawaja who made a vital 41 runs, before he was caught behind by Sarfaraz Ahmed off Shaheen Shah Afridi.
After a brief pause, Faheem Ashraf trapped Marnus Labuschagne leg before for 16 that forced Warner to dig in. Despite the run rate dipping, he got to his century in 125 balls, with a slice over the boundary ropes.
Steve Smith gave Warner good support at the other end as the No.4 punished unruly bowling by Pakistanis.
But, he succumbed to Khurram Shehzad as he forced him to give a catch to Sarfaraz behind the stumps for 31. This was Khurram's maiden Test wicket.
Travis Head walked in, and shouldered the responsibility of scoring at a brisk pace, and sewed a 66-run stand with Warner, before losing his wicket after scoring 40 to Pakistan's short-pitch ploy.
Warner also picked the short-pitch gauntlet, and hooked a six but finally was holed out, trying to pull debutant Jamal.
For Pakistan, Khurram, Faheem and Shaheen bagged one wicket, while Jamal successfully trapped two batsmen with tactical field placings.
Brief Scores: Australia 346/5 (David Warner 164, Usman Khawaja 41, Travis Head 40; Aamer Jamal 2-63) vs Pakistan.
IBNS
Senior Staff Reporter at Northeast Herald, covering news from Tripura and Northeast India.
Related Articles

South Africa pull off stunning win against India in Women's World Cup
South Africa pulled off a sensational chase to defeat India by 3 wickets with seven balls to spare in a high-quality World Cup contest at Visakhapatnam.

ICC launches inaugural Women’s Cricket Week: A Global Celebration of the Women’s Game
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has introduced the first-ever ICC Women’s Cricket Week, a global celebration of women’s cricket set to run from 16 to 22 October, aligning with the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025.

Jadeja, Siraj attain career-best positions in ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings
India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja’s standout performance in the first match of their ICC World Test Championship series against the West Indies in Ahmedabad has helped him reach a career-best 25th position in the ICC Men’s Test Batting Rankings.

India clinch 88-run win over Pakistan in ICC Women's Cricket World Cup
India clinch 88-run win over Pakistan in ICC Women's Cricket World Cup
Latest News

'Afghanistan has wiped out all terror groups, Pak should follow same path': Taliban Foreign Minister in India

Quran burning case: UK court overturns conviction of man in free speech ruling

Pilots’ body seeks grounding of all Boeing 787s after Air India flight malfunctions

María Corina Machado dedicates Nobel Peace Prize to Venezuelans, Donald Trump
