Watch the emotional moment David Warner celebrates his century against Pakistan as under-fire Australia star silences Mitchell Johnson amid barrage of criticism

David Warner responded to his critics in the best possible way by smashing a century against Pakistan to start his farewell party in style.

Warner, 37, has come under scrutiny ahead of this week’s Perth Test, with former teammate Mitchell Johnson questioning the rookie’s place in the team.

He has long stated his intention to retire from Test cricket this summer when a swansong in Sydney was mooted, but Johnson insists Warner does not deserve such a farewell amid a string of poor performances.

But Warner showed he had earned his place in the team by celebrating a century on the opening day of the first Test at the Optus Stadium.

David Warner was emotional after hitting a stunning century against Pakistan in Perth.

The 37-year-old got his summer off to a great start, scoring a ton on day one.

His place in Australia’s Test team was in doubt due to his terrible form.

He let out a roar of emotion as he walked past triple figures and sent a message to Johnson and all the other critics during the tea break.

“There will be criticism but you have to accept it and there is no better way to silence it than by hitting the board,” he told Adam Gilchrist.

Warner received support from an unlikely source ahead of Thursday’s opening day, with England legend Michael Vaughan defending the opener.

“He’s one of the greatest. I don’t understand why people don’t talk about him as a great player,” Vaughn told Fox Cricket.

“The fact that he’s made mistakes in the past, I think there’s a disagreement between him and a few former players (and) I think there’s a disagreement between him and a few Australian fans.

“(But) if you put all that aside and look at his numbers, he only had one slip and that was his knock in England against Stuart Broad at the wicket.

Former teammate Mitchell Johnson questions whether Warner deserves a farewell party

“Other than that, he pretty much dominated wherever he played and he played T20 cricket, 50-over cricket and Test match cricket.” His record here in Australia is fantastic.

“You talk about great players and I go back to the late 90s and early 2000s, that great Australian team (and) not many of them have 25 Test centuries.

“Yet here we are, with a player like David Warner, three Test matches away from saying goodbye, and all the talk is ‘Should he get the opportunity to play in Sydney?’