David Warner has shown that he is no one-hit wonder with a pulsating 69 in Australia’s 269 from 49.2 overs against South Africa at the SCG.
The stocky Sydneysider bludgeoned the Proteas and his doubters in the process in the day-night clash, hitting six fours and two sixes in his 60-ball knock on his home ground.
South Africa skipper Johan Botha (3-32 from 10 overs) dragged his side back into the contest by stalling the Australian innings during the middle overs.
But handy knocks from David Hussey (36) and James Hopes (33) guaranteed a decent total after Warner earlier extended his tenure in the national side.
After Ricky Ponting opted to bat, the question was whether Warner could cut the mustard after backing up his spectacular Twenty20 debut with two failures.
He left his first ball and, by his standards, played his way into his innings before fully unleashing his power-hitting in the fourth over.
Warner peeled 15 runs off that Dale Steyn over and had the South African spearhead glaring at him after launching the ball over the mid-wicket boundary.
He went for his shots, regularly lofting the ball over the in-field on his way to fifty off 41 balls, his quick scoring making up for Shaun Marsh’s sluggish start.
Warner celebrated his half century with a modest flourish of the bat to the dressing room and the crowd before continuing to rattle the South Africans with his unorthodox ways.
He walked down the pitch and crunched medium-pacer Jacques Kallis for four over cover before two balls later producing an audacious hook shot that went flat for six over the man in the deep.
Kallis mouthed some words in his direction but such was Australia’s faith in Warner’s hitting, the batting power play was called at 0-92 after 16 overs.
The young pair pushed the total beyond 100 without loss – their opening stand of 114 off 18.5 overs bringing comfort to national selectors so soon after Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden’s retirements.
Warner chanced his arm once too often against Steyn, the Phalaborwa Express splattering his stumps with a quick full delivery after the 22-year-old tried another leg side swipe.
By this stage Australia were flying and Ponting looked intent on keeping his foot on South Africa’s throat by striking Albie Morkel for three fours in a row.
At 1-144 in the 23rd over, a 300-plus total looked there for the taking but Botha had other ideas.
The right-arm spinner had Marsh (43 off 63 balls) stumped before bogging down Mike Hussey (12), with the left-hander extending his lean summer by being run out off a mix-up.
Botha deceived Ponting (29 off 27 balls) with a ball that held up enough for the Australian skipper to gently prod a catch to Herschelle Gibbs, before soon after cheaply dismissing the dangerous Brad Haddin (6).
Ponting said Warner’s knock was a positive sign for the future of the team.
“There has been a lot of hype around him and he has been under a bit of pressure,” Ponting said on the Nine Network.
“I had a few words to him today about just relying on his instinct and to just go out there and see the ball and hit it.
“That is what he does, he is one of those guys who, the more you try to complicate things, the worse they go.
“He played well and it is a good sign for us for the future.”
No side has scored more than 260 in a successful run chase in a one-day international at the SCG.
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