After managing just six in his side's first innings, Warner was out for 11 on Friday as he battled for 36 balls to find his rhythm against a modest home attack.
The 26-year-old is still officially part of Australia's Ashes squad, but has been sent to the A team in the hope he would spend some time in the middle after a turbulent period off the pitch.
Warner was fined by Cricket Australia for an expletive-laden Twitter attack on two Australian journalists in May, and just a month later was sent home from the Champions Trophy and suspended from playing for his country until the Ashes series in England following an altercation with English batsman Joe Root.
Australia A finish their match against the Zimbabwe Select XI on Saturday before heading to Pretoria to play the first of two unofficial Test matches against South Africa A, starting on Wednesday.
Image: David Warner
Photograph: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images