5 David Warner

David Warner

David Warner made a historic international debut in 2009, becoming the first man to represent Australia without a first-class match to his name since the very first Test back in 1877. The swashbuckling opener became an instant star by smashing 89 from 43 balls in a T20 match against South Africa’s highly-fancied bowling attack. His ODI and first-class debuts soon followed, as did an IPL contract with Delhi Daredevils, but Warner was forced to wait until 2011 to finally make his Test debut. Pigeon-holed as a limited-overs specialist due to his apparent disregard for defensive play, he proved his critics wrong by carrying his bat in just his second Test, finishing on 123 against New Zealand. Warner then blasted his way to a memorable 180 in the third Test against India in Perth before a blistering century against South Africa in Adelaide the following summer. In spite of being stood down on the eve of the 2013 Ashes tour due to an infamous Birmingham nightspot incident involving him and English batsman Joe Root, he marked his comeback in whites for Australia the following summer, peeling off five centuries in just eight Tests against England and South Africa. Despite being handed...

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