By Ollie Lewis for Daily Mail Australia
09:52 18 December 2023, updated 09:52 18 December 2023
- David Warner has been urged not to retire
- He’s headed to the Sydney swansong
- Ian Healy believes he should keep playing
David Warner has been urged to reconsider his retirement plans after his stunning century against Pakistan proved he belongs in the Australian Test team.
Warner, 37, silenced his critics with a 164-run first innings in the Perth Test, underscoring his credentials amid much controversy over his desire for a Sydney swansong.
His former teammate, Mitchell Johnson, said he did not deserve a farewell party due to his terrible form in recent years, and he doubled down on that stance after Warner was dismissed for a duck in his second innings.
But cricket legend Ian Healy believes there is no doubt that Warner belongs at the top of the order alongside Usman Khawaja.
The former wicketkeeper-batsman even claimed that Warner should stick around until Australia find his natural heir.
“The 160 he hit in the first innings won us our Test in Perth,” Healy said on SEN Breakfast.
It wasn’t easy. I looked at her from afar on Thursday afternoon and said, ‘Oh my God, I don’t want to be Pakistani.’ They will feel a foot shorter than they already are tomorrow afternoon without knowing how tough the conditions are. .
“Pakistan may have missed the trick in the first session (on day one), as their bowling was so short, but I don’t know anyone else who can make 160 so quickly in difficult conditions.
‘I like the way Michael Slater made the batting conditions difficult in the second innings. Mark Waugh can also make fun of difficult circumstances, but David Warner was great.
The knock has secured Warner’s place in the team for the next two Tests, but Healy believes the veteran should look forward before calling things off.
“What I love about him is his toughness,” Healy said.
“We all know how fit he is because he has maintained his pace between the wickets.
“I just liked the way he kept going and his feet moved.
“That’s the part I agree with about Mitchell Johnson and what he said about him, ‘Why do you have a swansong, the last three years haven’t been very good and now you’re choosing how you can retire.’
“But if he bats like that, he could take another year for me to not want to play anymore.
“That’s what he was missing in Test cricket, that movement, balance and real bat speed when he needed it.”