Perth: Former Australian wicketkeeper-batsman Ian Healy believes David Warner can play Test cricket for another year after the veteran opener made a fine 164 in the hosts’ first Test win over Pakistan by 360 runs at Optus Stadium in Perth.
Warner, who is likely to play his last Test series, set the game up for Australia on the first day of the Test, scoring 164 off 211 balls as the hosts made 487 in the first innings, laying the foundation for them to win the match in four days. .
“What I love about him is his durability. We all know how fit he is because he keeps his pace between the wickets. I just love the way he keeps going and his feet move.
“That’s the part I agree with about Mitchell Johnson and what he said about ‘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 spend another year for me not wanting to play anymore. “That’s what he was missing in Test cricket, that movement and balance and real bat speed when he needs it,” Healy said on SEN Radio.
Although Warner was out for a duck in the second innings, Healy believed his job was done by then. “The 160 he made in the first innings won us a Test in Perth. It wasn’t easy. I looked at it from afar on Thursday afternoon and said, ‘Oh my God, I don’t want to be a Pakistani’. They will feel a foot shorter than they are.” Already tomorrow afternoon without knowing how difficult the conditions would be.”
“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.
Healy signed off by saying he would have deemed Warner man of the match instead of Mitchell Marsh. “I was going to put him as man of the match. When I found out how difficult those conditions were on the first day because the commentators were saying before the match about that pitch ‘Oh, I’m going to be great with the bowling’… I was going to pick David Warner as man of the match.”