Enduring David Warner remains Australia’s best option ahead of his 100th Test | Geoff Lemon

The opening bat has not set the world alight with his recent form but he still deserves to reach the milestone on Boxing Day at the MCG

Seeing a player’s 100th Test match is a rare thing. Not as rare as it once was, with most of the 72 on the list beginning their careers in the 1990s or 2000s, but it will grow rarer as countries pare back their Test programs. Thirteen Australians have passed the mark, the kind who don’t need first names in a forum like this: Hayden, Taylor, Langer, Boon, Lyon, Clarke, Healy, McGrath, Waugh, Waugh, Warne, Border, Ponting. That gives the context to the achievement David Warner will complete on Boxing Day, applying cricket’s magic number to a riotous career.

While the week leading up should be one of celebration, right now it comes shot through with strong strands of negativity. Warner’s returns with the bat have diminished, and while opinions vary as much as on any subject, there is increasing noise about whether his milestone should also be a stop sign.

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