David Warner surged past Rohit Sharma to level with Virat Kohli on the all-time list of T20 centuries after producing an impressive unbeaten hundred in the Big Bash League on Saturday.
Warner’s incredible 130 not out off 65 balls for Sydney Thunder against Hobart Hurricanes marked his ninth T20 overall. century, bringing him level with Kohli and South Africa’s Rilee Rossouw for a joint third hundred in the format. The milestone also saw Warner surrender Rohit Sharma, Glenn Maxwell, Jos Buttler, Faf du Plessis, Aaron Finch, Michael Klinger and Abhishek Sharma, who all sit on eight T20 hundreds.
The innings was Warner’s second century in the BBL and his first in the tournament since December 2011, underlining a remarkable return to top form. It was also his first T20 hundred in six years and the highest individual score of the current BBL season as the Thunder posted an impressive 4 for 205 at the Engie Stadium.
Sydney’s innings got off to a dramatic start. Warner was left stranded at the non-striker’s end when Hurricanes pacer Will Prestwidge struck with the first two balls of the match to remove Matthew Gilkes and Sam Konstas to reduce the Thunder to 2 for 0. Prestwidge narrowly missed out on a hat-trick when his next delivery flew down the leg side.
However, once Warner found his rhythm, the momentum definitely turned. He accelerated his knock with authority before launching a brutal late onslaught, smashing 50 runs off his last 15 deliveries. Warner finished with nine sixes and 11 fours, dismantling the Hurricanes attack and setting a new record for the highest individual score in Thunder history.
He got steady support from Sam Billings, who made 20 off 24 balls, and Nic Maddinson, who scored 30 off 26 deliveries, before retiring late in the innings. Daniel Sams added a late flourish with an unbeaten 14 off six balls to ensure the Thunder crossed the 200-run mark.
Prestwidge was the outstanding bowler for Hobart with figures of 2 for 19 from two overs, while Nathan Ellis took one wicket but conceded 46 runs. Rishad Hossain kept it pretty tight and gave away 29 runs from his four overs.
Speaking after the innings, Warner said he was happy with the platform set up in the side. “It feels really good to put 200 on the board,” he said, adding that supporting his natural game helped him bounce back from early setbacks.
With the Thunder entering the match bottom of the table looking for momentum, Warner’s record-breaking effort provided a timely boost and reaffirmed his place among the most prolific run-scorers in T20 cricket.
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Issued by:
Amar Panicker
Published on:
January 3, 2026
