Adelaide: David Warner''s golden run during the Australian summer continued with a career-best 335 not out here, as the hosts asserted their dominance over Pakistan in the second Test. Warner surged ahead of Don Bradman and Mark Taylor on the list of highest Test scores for Australia, with his 418-ball effort on Saturday, 30 November, coming behind only Matthew Hayden''s 380 against Zimbabwe in 2003. The pugnacious opener looked hungry for more, and set to challenge Brian Lara''s all-time record of 400 not out, but was denied the chance when captain Tim Paine declared with Australia on 589/3.
With Pakistan ending the day on 96/6, the hosts are in firm control to make it 2-0. Warner''s is the fourth-highest unbeaten Test knock by any batsman, on the list led by Lara, and the 10th-highest of all time. His knock was also the seventh triple hundred by an Australian, and the first for the country since Michael Clarke''s SCG tome against India in 2012. The knock stood out as much for the impressive numbers and shot-making ? there were 39 fours and one six ? as for his running between the wickets even late into his innings, an ICC report said. Even after the declaration, Warner''s heroics for the day weren''t quite finished: he took thecatch that sent back Imam-ul-Haq, in the fifth over of Pakistan''s first innings, when theopening batsman edged a Mitchell Starc delivery that came towards him at 150kph.
Resuming the day on 302/1, with Warner on 166 and Marnus Labuschagne on 126, a well-set Australia proceeded steadily. The duo posted 361 ? a national record for the second wicket ? before Labuschagne, going for a drive, lost his stumps to Shaheen Afridi on 162. Warner, who had a double in his sights by then, got there with a flick for a single. Scoring at a quicker rate, he reached 300 in the second session, bringing up the milestone with an on-side boundary and jubilant celebrations. With Matthew Wade scoring at nearly a run a ball and adding handy runs, Paine waited for Warner to pass Bradman''s total before calling the batsmen in.
In the midst of the Warner show, Steve Smith missed out on making big runs, but hungaround long enough to go past Bradman''s career total and bring up 7,000 Test runs,becoming the quickest to do so, in just 126 innings. Paine''s declaration proved inspired as Australia''s pacers ran through Pakistan, especially after the dinner break. Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood were rewarded for their consistency, while Starc was a handful with his pace and angle. The left-arm quick finishedwith 4/22, two of them coming in the 32nd over. Babar Azam, batting on 43 not out, offered the only resistance.
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