Opener hits 164 vs Pakistan in Perth
David Warner’s wife Candice shared a cryptic one-word post directed at former Australia pacer Mitchell Johnson after the star opener silenced his critics with a brilliant 164 vs Pakistan in Perth.
Warner shunned any doubts about his Test match pedigree with a 164-run knock against Pakistan on day one of the series opener in Perth on Thursday, as Australia cruised to 346 for 5 after 84 overs at stumps.
Candice’s cryptic post came shortly after Warner celebrated his 26th Test century in his trademark style. Candice took to ‘X’ to share a photo of Warner accompanied by a ‘stay quiet’ emoji that appeared to be addressed to Johnson.
Johnson, a former fast bowler, had slammed Warner and questioned the need for a farewell Test series for the veteran opener. Warner, according to Johnson, did not merit the honour because of his involvement in the Sandpaper Gate scandal.
Australia vs Pakistan, 1st Test Day 1: Highlights
Johnson added that because Warner did not publicly apologise for the event, he did not deserve the dignity of a farewell Test match. Notably, Warner is set to retire from Test cricket after the three-match Test series against Pakistan.
Following the end of the second session, Warner spoke with former Australia opener Adam Gilchrist and indicated that his celebration post hundred was simply a reaction to the persistent criticism about his place in the side in the lead-up to the Test.
“It’s my job to come out here and score runs, that was from the get-go to put pressure on the Pakistani bowlers,” Warner, who had averaged only 32 in tests since the start of 2020, told Fox Cricket. “There’s going to be criticism but you’ve got to take that. There’s no better way to silence them (than) by putting runs on the board.”