He edged between the wicketkeeper and slip for a boundary and took off to punch the air, raising his bat with a big smile on his face – Just over a year after he was handed a career-altering ban, Australian opener David Warner scored his 15th ODI century during the ICC World Cup on Wednesday, 12 June.
After opening with a stand of 146 between Warner (107) and Aaron Finch (82), Australia crumbled and lost its last six wickets for 30 runs in seven overs.
Warner wasn't exactly back to his best, but he still reached triple figures from 102 balls and stroked 11 boundaries and a six in the process.
This is his second ton in the quadrennial tournament, third against Pakistan and first in any format for Australia since a Test against England in December 2017.
Warner launched the Australian innings with a positive partnership with Finch that really should have been the foundation of a bigger total on Somerset's relatively small County Ground.
He was rubbed out of the representative game for 12 months for his part in a ball-tampering scandal in South Africa in March 2018, that rocked Australian cricket.
Warner was booed by the crowd in each of his previous appearances at the World Cup, and was under pressure despite scoring runs because his unbeaten 89 against Afghanistan, his three against West Indies and his 56 against India all came at an uncharacteristically slow run-rate.
Warner was only jeered by the heavily pro-Pakistan crowd when he was dropped cold by Asif Ali at third man on 104, but that was more likely frustration at yet another fielding error from the Pakistani team.
His innings came to end with Australia at 242-4 in the 38th over, when he miscued Shaheen Afridi to Imam-ul-Haq at deep point.
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