26-1: Ranking David Warner's Test centuries

26) 103 v England, Melbourne, 2017

David Warner's 21st Test century saw him pass 6000 Test runs in his 129th innings as he scored 103 from 151 balls on Boxing Day. Warner and Cameron Bancroft put on 122 for the first wicket – of which the West Australian scored 26. There was drama when Warner was reprieved on 99 after a no-ball from Tom Curran. But this century came on a tired and sluggish MCG surface which the ICC match referee later rated as 'poor'.

 

25) 111no v New Zealand, Sydney, 2020

Warner's 24th Test hundred came in the second innings as the Aussies piled on misery for an injury-hit New Zealand side missing Trent Boult, Tim Southee and Lockie Ferguson, and already well behind in the game and series. With a first-innings lead of 198, Warner blazed away on the fourth morning with nine boundaries and reached triple figures shortly after lunch to allow captain Tim Paine to declare with a 415-run lead.

 

24) 154 v Pakistan, Brisbane, 2019

Warner's first Test on home soil since the ball-tampering ban, and first Test since enduring a torrid Ashes tour against Stuart Broad, could not have gone much better for the 33-year-old opener. Reunited with Joe Burns the pair put on 222 together, although Warner was reprieved on 56 having inside-edged to the 'keeper, only for debutant teenager Naseem Shah to have overstepped. His 22nd Test ton was his first since the Boxing Day ton in 2017, and he batted the entire second day to reach stumps unbeaten on 151. Warner departed early on the third morning as Naseem finally got his man.

 

23) 144 v Pakistan, Melbourne, 2016

Playing in his sixth Boxing Day Test, Warner finally posted three figures on what had been his least successful Australian venue to this point. Handed a big slice of luck when dismissed by a Wahab Riaz no-ball when he was 81, the left-hander hammered 17 fours to finish with 144 from just 143 balls.

 

22) 112 v England, Perth, 2013

Australia's first-innings lead of 134 at the WACA was quickly doubled as Warner clattered 17 fours and two sixes, posting a blazing fifty in just 56 balls before reaching three figures in 127 deliveries. Australia's lead was 317 by the time he departed – Warner's second century of a whitewash series in which the urn returned to Australian hands.

 

21) 116 v New Zealand, Brisbane, 2015

For the third time in his Test career, Warner hit a century in both innings of a Test match. This knock was the second – to go with No.20 on our list below – and came with Australia enjoying a 239-run cushion after the first innings. Warner was in the rare position of playing second fiddle to partner Burns, who reached the century milestone first, as the pair put on 237 together before Warner departed for 116 from 113 balls, with eight fours and two sixes.

20) 163 v New Zealand, Brisbane, 2015

Having survived a tricky opening session at the Gabba against New Zealand's crafty new ball pair Tim Southee and Trent Boult, Warner turned the tables and dismantled the Black Caps bowling with an innings of 163. At the time, this was the second-highest score of his career. Nineteen fours and a six flowed from his bat in partnerships of 161 with Burns and then 150 with childhood friend Usman Khawaja. Warner then backed it up in the second innings with another ton – see No.19 above.

 

19) 122no v West Indies, Sydney, 2016

In a match ruined by a deluge in Sydney, Warner lit up the final day by scoring the then-fastest Test century at the SCG and the then-fourth fastest by an Australian anywhere, coming from just 82 balls. He would go faster at the SCG a summer later (see No.9 on this list) but this innings was pure entertainment, a thank you to the fans who had endured two washed out days and a Windies side unwilling to try and make a game of it amid the rain. Warner blazed 11 fours and two sixes in all, and brought up his ton in just 82 deliveries.

 

18) 124 v England, Brisbane, 2013

No man can ram home his side's advantage quite like Warner in the second innings of a Test match. With Australia holding a 159-run lead on the first innings after Mitchell Johnson triggered a stunning England collapse on day two at the Gabba, Warner piled on the pain and raced to 45no at stumps. After two quick wickets Warner and captain Michael Clarke put on 158 together as both made tons, Warner's coming just after lunch off 135 balls. This was his fourth Test ton, his first in Ashes cricket, and kick-started an incredible run of form that would see him add four more over the course of the season.

 

17) 164 v Pakistan, Perth Stadium, 2023

Warner's 26th and most recent century came in the opening Test of the 2023-24 season, a summer that he had already nominated to be his last in the format. With 17 innings without a hundred in 2023, including on tours to India and England, Warner's dominant ton against Pakistan ensured he would get his desired fairytale finish in Sydney. The dynamo played some phenomenal shots, including a lapped six off Shaheen Shah Afridi, highlighting that even at 37 years of age he is capable of adding new strings to his bow. 

16) 119 v South Africa, Adelaide Oval, 2012

Entering the Test with questions over his form and place in the top order having scored just one fifty in his past nine Test innings, Warner asserted himself by launching a brazen attack on South Africa's bowlers on day one. The opener brought up his hundred off just 93 balls, smashing 16 boundaries and four sixes to set a strong foundation. The left-hander was as unperturbed by the calibre of South Africa's bowling line-up, which featured Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel, as he was by the three wickets falling around him in the first 13 overs of the day. It laid the perfect foundation for Clarke and Mike Hussey to add hundreds of their own (a double for Clarke) although Australia would draw the Test a bowler down with debutant Faf du Plessis playing one of the all-time great rearguards.

15) 115 v South Africa, Centurion, 2014

Warner's first Test century overseas, and the sixth of his career, continued his purple-patch in the 2013-14 summer. Another second-innings century, Australia were leading by 191 runs after the first innings as Warner hammered home the advantage with a quick-fire 115 from 151 deliveries. His knock included 13 boundaries and two sixes, as Australia recorded its second-largest victory in a Test match in South Africa, winning by 281 runs.

 

14) 101 v India, SCG, 2015

An emotional return to the SCG, where Warner had cradled the head of a stricken Phillip Hughes just six weeks earlier during that fateful Sheffield Shield game. Having ridden some early luck – an inside edge narrowly missed the stumps en route to the fence while another boundary came via a gap between slips and gully – Warner was in a punishing mood, particularly against Umesh Yadav. A pull shot for his 16th boundary brought up the century – the 12th of his career – and after the usual leap, he bent down to kiss the turf where his friend had fallen.

 

13) 133 v Pakistan, Dubai, 2014

After 145 overs in the field in scorching heat while Pakistan piled up 454, Warner was the only Australian who could combat conditions and prosper with the bat, making 133 from 174 balls in Australia's first innings of 303. His knock included 11 boundaries and two sixes. Nobody else in the Australian XI could muster more than 38. It was Warner's third successive Test century following his twin tons in Cape Town (see much higher in his list), and he did it with a groin injury picked up in the preceding one-day series.

12) 200 v South Africa, Melbourne, 2022

Heading into his 100th Test, Warner had gone 27 innings without reaching three figures in Tests, prompting discussions over his place in the Australian XI. However, against a strong South African bowling attack including Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje and Marco Jansen, Warner delivered in his milestone match with the third 200+ score of his career. Cramping forced the opener to retire after reaching his double century, but he returned only to be bowled without adding any to his already huge tally. 

11) 253 v New Zealand, Perth, 2015

By the time the summer of 2015-16 rolled around, Warner's reputation as a rampaging, rapid-fire opener was well and truly set. What he hadn't achieved to this point was a significantly big score, one that required hours at the crease, patience and discipline. That innings came at the WACA Ground in November 2015, when he batted for nearly seven hours in composing 253. In typical Warner fashion he still scored at a strike rate of 88.46, and compiled 24 fours and two sixes. His innings ended in the 96th over, caught at second slip off the flashing blade with Australia at 3-427.

 

10) 102 v India, Adelaide 2014

In an emotionally draining Test match, this second-innings century saw tempers fray with Warner at his most combative. Varun Aaron overstepped giving Warner a reprieve when bowled on 66, and a send-off from the bowler saw Warner bite back. And when Virat Kohli and Steve Smith exchanged words, Warner was quick to insert himself in the middle. With Australia nursing a slender 73-run lead at the start of the second innings, Australia owed much of their eventual victory to Warner's runs. He struck 11 fours and a six in his 166-ball knock. There was another touching moment when scores from the resumption of the Sheffield Shield flashed up on the Adelaide Oval scoreboard and Warner led the applause for Sean Abbott's six-wicket haul. This was his sixth century of the 2014 calendar year, and second time in the year he had scored two tons in a single Test.

 

9) 113 v Pakistan, Sydney, 2017

This was Warner at his most ruthless, punishing, and perhaps most sadistic. His destruction of Pakistan came thick and fast; five shots found the fence in the opening three overs. A trio of boundaries followed in the sixth over from the bowling of Imran Khan, and by the 13th over he had his half-century from 41 balls. The blitzkrieg continued after drinks and a century before lunch suddenly appeared plausible. With four overs to go before the break, Warner required 14. As the final over before lunch began, five was needed to secure a place in history. A two to midwicket was followed by three behind backward point and with it, the century. Warner became just the fifth player in history to score a century before lunch on day one of a Test, and the first ever to achieve the feat in Australia, coming from 78 balls faced.

 

8) 123 v Bangladesh, Chittagong, 2017

A feat few thought possible for Warner: a second successive Test century in spinning conditions in Asia. He had hit a ton in Dhaka the previous Test (see No.3 below) and Warner made it two on the trot in the first innings of the second Test in Chittagong. This innings is the slowest of his 24 Test hundreds, coming from 209 deliveries, with only five boundaries. Played out in heat and sapping humidity that caused batting partner Peter Handscomb to require medical attention, it was a testament to his zealous devotion to fitness as Warner ground down the opposition, his runs coming as an accumulation rather than the usual avalanche, with just seven boundaries throughout. He even spent 15 balls on 99, but the patience paid off as he played another significant hand for his country and again dispelled doubts about his ability to play spin on Asian pitches.

 

7) 335no v Pakistan, Adelaide, 2019

A host of records fell in two days against a valiant but overwhelmed Pakistan attack, but this innings was a triumph of patience, perseverance, and fitness. GPS tracking revealed Warner had run just shy of 21 kilometres with bat in hand during a record-breaking innings, as he batted for more than nine hours and 127 overs across the opening two days of the Adelaide Test. The runs came at an incredible clip for such a long innings – he brought up his 300 from his 389th ball faced, and celebrated the triple-ton with incredible gusto. His total innings lasted 418 balls at a strike rate of 80.14, with 39 boundaries and a single six. Brian Lara's world record Test score of 400 was not out of the question but captain Tim Paine called the innings closed once Warner had passed Sir Donald Bradman's best of 334. He was just the seventh Aussie to score a Test triple ton, and this was Warner's highest Test score.

 

6) 145 v India, Adelaide 2014

The emotional toll on the Australians in the wake of Phillip Hughes's tragic death was immeasurable. Just 12 days after Hughes passed away, the Test side, filled with many of his closest friends and several who had been at the ground when he was struck, returned to cricket at the Adelaide Oval against India. Michael Clarke won the toss and Warner opened the innings like a man possessed; in a blur he was 28 from 13 balls, with five boundaries. He would later say this innings was played with no value placed on his wicket, making this an innings of pure talent and stroke making. He settled somewhat to move past 50, and soon after he looked to the heavens as he reached 63, the score which Hughes was on when he was struck. Emotions overflowed again when midway through the afternoon session he scored his century, which was followed by his trademark leap, a skyward look and a big hug from his captain, Michael Clarke.

 

5) 145 v South Africa, 2014, Cape Town

Test ton No.8 and his second in such a pivotal Test match underlined the sparkling vein of form Warner was in for this heavyweight battle for the Test No.1 ranking. Having blazed a first day century from just 104 balls, ranked top on this list, Warner then backed it up on day four with a stirring 145 that set up Australia's declaration after lunch on the fourth day. Warner had set the tone for the Test with his day-one ton, this effort was brutalism, almost disdainful as he sent bowlers to all parts of a Newlands ground that been South Africa's stronghold. He and Rogers had raced along, putting on 123 in 20 overs, of which Warner had made 75 off 57. A six lofted back over Daley Steyn's head, one knee planted on the pitch, summed up his incredible form; here was a player in complete command. Warner then slowed up, conscious that Australia's bowlers needed time to rest before a fourth-innings charge. His century, the first time he'd hit two tons in a Test, came from 124 balls.

 

4) 180 v India, Perth, 2012

A month after his valiant bat-carrying exploits in Hobart (No.2 below), Warner showed the other side of his game. The dashing, daring, destructive side that first brought him to attention as a T20 slogger now transferred to the Test arena. Australia rolled through India shortly after tea on day one at the WACA, meaning Warner and partner Ed Cowan were tasked with seeing the home side through to stumps. Warner, playing in just his fifth Test, disregarded any notion of caution, flying to 50 from 36 balls and only upping the ante from there. In a flurry of fours and sixes he flayed the then-fifth-fastest Test hundred of all time, from just 69 balls – and all before stumps. He carried on the next day – at a more sedate pace – to make 180 from 159 balls, leaving fans awestruck about what the future might hold for the diminutive dynamo.

 

3) 112 v Bangladesh, Dhaka, 2017

Spin bowling had been Warner's kryptonite, and it at first looked to be much the same on this tour when he was out for eight in the first innings. But with his team in dire need of a fourth-innings hero, the hard work behind the scenes paid off in spectacular style. Chasing 265 to win, the dashing opener put on a masterclass against slow bowling previously unseen from him, advancing down the wicket confidently and carving out a stunning hundred from just 121 balls. Warner would later call it his finest Test ton. It was the sort of innings that should have been enough to lead Australia to victory, but none of his teammates could pass 37 in the fourth innings as Australia fell 20 runs short. Regardless of the result, Warner's magnificent hand will be remembered as a diamond in the Dhaka rough.

 

2) 123no v New Zealand, Hobart, 2011

A maiden Test century, and a remarkable innings from a player in just his second Test. With only a handful of first-class games under his belt, Warner's selection to the Test team to face New Zealand had divided opinion. For many he was viewed as little more than a T20 excitement machine, a hard-hitting slogger who lacked the discipline and technique to succeed in the sport's toughest format. An ugly dismissal in his first Test innings in Brisbane had done nothing to dissuade the doubters. But in the fourth innings in Hobart, chasing 241 to win on a tricky and wearing pitch against a New Zealand attack at the peak of their powers, Warner made a mockery of those naysayers. The power was there, but this was an innings where Warner showed restraint, responsibility and resilience. He started the pursuit on the third afternoon, his boundaries powerfully struck but along the ground, and carried on past a century on the fourth day, standing head and shoulders above his teammates as wickets fell around him. He carried his bat throughout the innings – only the third Australian to have achieved that feat in the fourth innings – and got his team to within eight runs of victory, sharing a 34-run stand with No.11 Nathan Lyon. "Now I have got it (a Baggy Green) I am going to try to hold onto it as long as I can," he said after the match. "Everyone keeps talking about T20 cricket but I have always said I wanted to prove I could play the longer form and at the end of the day it is overwhelming to show people what I have done."

 

1) 135 v South Africa, 2014, Cape Town

Warner's greatest Test century may, perversely, also be his most overlooked. In an incredible Test match, a gutsy ton from Michael Clarke with a broken collarbone that was also arguably his best, and late heroics with the ball from Ryan Harris stole the headlines. But Australia's victory would not have happened without Warner, who scored two tons in a Test for the first time in his career. His first innings century set the tone for this series-deciding heavyweight contest, with Proteas pace pair Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel at their best. Having made himself a target for the South Africans by questioning their management of the ball on Australian radio after the previous Test, Warner embraced the battle and lifted himself to new heights. He set the tone against the new ball, making Steyn look ineffectual to the point as he was withdrawn from the attack after just two overs, while punishing Philander with a trio of boundaries in an over. Warner played the whip hand, bossing proceedings in half-century partnerships with Chris Rogers, Alex Doolan and finally Clarke. His century came from 104 balls, pulling Kyle Abbott to the fence for his 10th boundary, and he celebrated with an uppercut and by kissing the badge on his helmet. Warner had his ton when Steyn injured himself, which started a ferocious spell from Morkel who peppered Clarke, but Warner was in such sublime touch it appeared he was playing a different game. Warner had made 135 by the time he departed with Test ton No.7 to his name.