34 Facts about David Warner - The Pocket size dynamo

From a talented record-breaking youngster to a brash individual and then one of world’s finest Test batsmen, the journey of David Warner has been anything but predictable. He is difficult man to keep quiet if his bat isn’t doing the talking his mouth probably is and either way you can expect fireworks. One of the most destructive hitters in world cricket, Warner opens for Australia in all three formats and in 2015 his seniority was recognized when he was named vice-captain to Steven Smith in the Test and ODI sides. It was quite a turnaround for the man who two years earlier had been suspended by Cricket Australia for punching England’s Joe Root in a feisty altercation.

The diminutive and dangerous opener is well-known for his wide range of shots. Let us dwell deep and find out some interesting facts about the aggressive cricketer.

1. Birth:

He was born as David Andrew Warner on 27th October 1986 in an Australian family, in Paddington, a suburb in Eastern Sydney, New South Wales.

2. Interesting move:

At the age of 13, David Warner was asked by his coach to switch to right-handed batting because he kept hitting the ball in the air while batting left-handed.

3. Mother’s advice:

One season later his mother, Sheila Warner, encouraged him to return to batting left-handed and he broke the Under 16’s run scoring record for the Sydney Coastal Cricket Club.

4. First Class debut:

David Warner made his first-class debut for Eastern Suburbs Club at the tender age of 15 years. He later toured Sri Lanka with the Under-19 Australian team and performed well on the pitches of the island country.

5. Deserving:

An outstanding fielder and a hard-hitting batsman, David Warner was the leading run-scorer in the 2005-06 season when the Australia Under-19s toured India. He then proceeded to play the Under-19 World Cup.

6. Exceptional:

Pigeon-holed as a limited-overs specialist due to his apparent disregard for defensive play, Warner proved his critics wrong by carrying his bat in just his second Test, finishing on 123 in a narrow loss to New Zealand at Hobart.

7. Bowling style:

His bowling style is unique in the sense he mixes off-spin bowling with his more usual leg-spiners. He is more than a handy part-time bowler.

8. Who could forget that:

David Warner became the first Australian cricketer in 132 years (since 1877) to get into the national team without playing a first-class game.

9. Debut performance:

David Warner made a stunning 89 off 43 balls in the first T20l against of the two-match series South Africa at the MCG in 2009.

10. Early signs:

With T20 success, he made his ODI debut against the South Africans in Hobart. An aggressive 69 in just his second ODI seemed to confirm the rare talent of Warner.

11. World T20 2009:

David Warner was one of the few bright spots during Australia’s first round exit in the 2009 edition of the World T20 in England.

Also Read – Top 10 Fastest Fifties in T20 international cricket

12. Test debut:

Already a regular in the ODI line-up, Warner made his Test debut against New Zealand in the Australian summer of 2011.

13. Patience and David Warner:

His unbeaten 123 in Hobart could not prevent a historic New Zealand win, but his patience in challenging conditions showed a different side to his batsmanship.

14. Taking T20 batting to Tests:

In 2012 he made a fabulous 69 ball 100 against India at Perth that later turned out to be a career best 180. He blasted the listless Indian bowling attack allround the WACA.

15. A top class ton:

Warner’s aggressive touch at the top of the order was in full flow once again when he creamed a superb 119 against a top-notch South African attack at the Adelaide Oval in 2012.

16. The biggest controversy:

Things turned sour for Warner on the eve of the 2013 Ashes Tour when he was stood down for taking a swing at England batsman Joe Root in a Birmingham nightspot. He was first dropped from the Champion’s Trophy squad for disciplinary reasons but it later emerged that a brawl with Root was the catalyst.

17. Heavy fine:

On 13th June 2013, Cricket Australia announced that Warner was to be fined £7,000 (AU $11,500) and would not play for his country until the first Ashes Test.

18. Perennial offender:

A month later on 27th July 2013, while playing for Australia ‘A’ against South Africa ‘A’ in Pretoria, Warner was involved in an on-field altercation with South Africa ‘A’ wicket-keeper, Thami Tsolekile.

19. The Ashes down under:

In the Ashes series in Australia in 2013-14, he scored runs freely and emerged as the highest run-scorer. He scored 523 runs from five matches at an average of 58.11, which included two hundreds and two fifties.

20. The Test tour to South Africa 2014:

David Warner bettered his own effort in The Ashes 2013-14 by once again becoming the highest run-getter in the three-match Test series against the No.1 ranked team South Africa. He scored a mind-blowing 543 runs from six innings at an average of 90.50, which included three hundreds.

21. The brilliant run of form:

In an incredible purple patch, Warner passed 50 nine times in 16 innings to average 71.06 and establish himself as a genuine superstar of world cricket.

22. Sunrisers Hyderabad man:

Delhi didn’t retain him for the IPL season 2014 and he was snapped up in the auctions by Hyderabad for a whopping amount of Rs 5.5 crores. Warner won the IPL title for SRH in the year of 2016.

23. The 2015 World Cup:

David Warner was the second highest run-scorer for Australia in the 2015 World Cup. He amassed 345 runs in 8 games, which included a dashing 178 against Afghanistan, helping Australia to post 417 on board – the highest ever World Cup total.

24. IPL:

Warner was signed by Delhi Daredevils for the 2009–10 seasons. In IPL 5 he made a century off just 54 balls. Currently, he is playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad.

25. Big Bash:

David Warner made a record in KFC Big Bash by completing his half century in 18 balls against Tasmania.

26. The combo with Finch:

David Warner has formed a good relationship at the top of the order with fellow big hitter Aaron Finch.

27. Family:

David Warner married Australian ironwoman Candice Falzon in April 2015. They had their first child on 11 September 2014, a daughter named Ivy Mae Warner. Candice recently gave birth to their second daughter.

28. Did you know?

One of the pioneers of the reverse sweep or ‘switch hit’ in limited-overs cricket, he was endorsed to use a double-sided bat during the 2009 domestic T20 competition in Australia.

29. Have a look folks:

Records After 54 Tests –

David Warner – 4669 runs at an average of 48.64, including 16 hundreds.

30. A travel lover:

David Warner loves to travel and enjoys meeting people and exploring cultures of different countries in particular India and its diversities

31. Warner’s Twitter war with Australian journalists:

In 2013, when Robert Craddock wrote a comment piece about the Indian Premier League (IPL) and its negative side, Warner’s photo appeared near it. That irked Warner to the extent that he sent Craddock a few abusive and ill-tempered tweets.

32. Career in numbers:

In 54 Tests he has 4669 runs at an average of 48.64 with 16 hundreds. In 85 ODIs, 3280 runs at an average of 40.49 and a whopping strike rate of 94. In 63 T20 internationals, he has 1686 runs at a strike rate of 139.57 and an average above 28.

33. IPL numbers:

The current Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper has played 100 IPL matches amassing 3373 runs with an average of 38.33 and a strike rate of 142. That includes two blistering tons.

34. BBL numbers:

In 131 Big Bash games, he has 3908 runs at an average of 33.6 with 3 hundreds.