A different kind of century: Australian cricket star David Warner's future weighed up

His 89 from 43 balls in a Twenty20 against South Africa told the world of his talent, yet few could have imagined Warner - who in 2008 became the first man to debut for Australia without a first-class cap to his name since 1877 - would become one of the country's great Test openers.

Now the left-hander is poised to become the 14^th man to play 100 Tests for Australia when he returns to the MCG, against South Africa once more, in the Boxing Day Test.

He chases a different kind of century against a backdrop of pressure, because Warner has averaged 20.61 in Test cricket this year and, without a ton to his name since January 2020, some wonder if this summer is the 36-year-old's last in the baggy green.

There is a sense an SCG farewell in the new year would be a fitting send-off, though Warner will likely feel he has a point to prove in tours to India and England. With that in mind, The Canberra Times' Caden Helmers and Cameron Mee consider Warner's future.

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Caden Helmers: There is little doubt Warner opens in an all-time Australian XI alongside Hayden. He is eighth on the nation's all-time leading run scorers list and finds himself just 78 shy of passing 8000 Test runs. Of the 12 to have passed 7000, Warner's strike rate of 71.18 is 11.08 higher than the rest of the class.

Australian coach Andrew McDonald is adamant Warner remains in his plans for a tour of India, the Ashes and the World Test Championship final. In taking the opener on tour, McDonald will be backing Warner to rebound in a big way. He averages 24.25 through 16 innings in India with a top score of 71, while in England he has amassed 651 runs at 26.04 with a high score of 85.

Warner goes on tour unless the final two Tests of the home summer against South Africa are enough for him to decide, of his own accord, time is up.

Runs rather than age will decide Warner's future - but the latter will slow your feet down quicker than a cut shot reaches the boundary, because Father Time waits for no man.

Cameron Mee: The past couple of months have not made for pretty viewing for Australian cricket fans. Warner has struggled significantly in the Test arena and failed to cash in while his teammates were feasting on a subpar West Indies attack.

Warner's average for his last 10 Tests is less than 21, well below his career average of 45.52. The biggest question he and Australian selectors will have to decide is if this is a lean run or the end of the road.

It's not the first time he's endured a challenging stretch and the opener has always rebounded when under pressure. There was talk of dropping Warner prior to the 2021 Twenty20 World Cup and he finished the event as player of the tournament. It was only last month he scored 106 in a one-day victory over England.

The key difference between those two situations is the colour of the cricket ball. The new red ball is a totally different beast and challenges batters in different ways. Are Warner's struggles technique-based, poor decision making or a sign the game has passed him by?

CH: One thing in Warner's favour right now is the question mark hovering over the next man up.

Marcus Harris is in the Test squad and has averaged more than 40 in red-ball cricket this year, but the critics will point to a mediocre record at Test level [an average of 25.29 after 14 games] and wonder if he, like Cameron Bancroft, deserves another shot. However, players have dominated in their second coming before.

Matthew Renshaw is averaging 51.66 in the Sheffield Shield this summer and scored a century for the Prime Minister's XI against the West Indies, while Henry Hunt is another conventional option.

But if selectors want a like-for-like replacement, maybe the answer comes from within. Travis Head's aggressive style makes him a game-changer in a similar vein.

It would be hard to drop Warner without a clear option to replace him. He'll be on the plane to India unless he decides to tear up his own ticket.

CM: Warner is too determined to tear up his own ticket before the two biggest away series in Australian cricket, an Indian tour followed by the Ashes in England, with the World Test Championship final thrown in between.

The Sydney Test looms as a crucial moment. The SCG is a ground Warner has enjoyed considerable success at over the years, scoring three centuries with an average of 52.2. It would not shock if he recreates his stunning innings against Pakistan in 2017 when the batsman reached triple figures in less than a session.

The runs have even started to dry up in Sydney in recent years. Warner scored an unbeaten 111 against New Zealand in 2020 but struggled against India and England over the past two years. Fail again, and it will become clear he is limping to the end of his career.

Warner will almost certainly travel to India and England and receive one final chance to succeed in two challenging, but vastly different, environments. A match-winning century in either series could prove the perfect way to walk into the sunset.

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