'Irrepressible' Warner gives another wake-up call to selectors with 'sledgehammer' 197

Australian cricket player David Warner gave national selectors another compelling reason to pick him for the first Test against England as he continued his rich vein of form with a record-breaking 197 for NSW, leading them into the Ryobi Cup final.

According to The Age, after starting the one-day tournament in patchy form Warner pounded a match-winning 197 off only 141 balls on Thursday and has clearly returned to his explosive best a month out from the start of the Ashes.

The incumbent Test opener's third century in four innings came against a high quality Victorian attack containing internationals Peter Siddle, John Hastings and Fawad Ahmed, and was made in front of selection chairman John Inverarity, the report said.

Warner's brutal knock eclipsed the previous domestic one-day record of 187 set by Queensland's Jimmy Maher in 2004 and took his Ryobi Cup figures to 527 runs at an excellent 75, the report added.

His blistering innings was the main reason why it will be the Blues, and not the Bushrangers, taking on Queensland in Sunday's final, the report further said.