Australian opener David Warner has declared that he will retire from Test cricket after the match against Pakistan in January 2024. The game will in all likelihood be held at Sydney, which is Warner’s home ground. The southpaw, a veteran of 103 Tests so far, sees that as an ideal opportunity to bring curtains down on his red ball international career.
Moreover, the 36-year-old is also eyeing the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and the United States of America (USA) in 2024 as his final tournament following which he will hang his boots from all formats of the game.
“I have always said the (2024) World Cup would probably be my final game,” Warner said, speaking prior to the World Test Championship (WTC) final between India and Australia that kicks off on June 7 at the Oval.
He added, “I probably owe it to myself and my family - if I can score runs here and continue to play back in Australia, I can definitely say I won't be playing that West Indies series. If I can get through this (WTC final and Ashes) and make the Pakistan series I will definitely finish up then.”
Australia train for WTC Finale
Warner has undergone a troublesome period in Test cricket lately. His average dropped to 30.05 in the 11 Tests that he played in 2022. The batsman has aggregated only 15 runs in the four innings that he has batted in 2023 as well. Australia are banking on his experience to help sail them through the WTC summit clash and then the Ashes.
Can David Warner make it through till the Australian summer?
Warner averages only 26.04 in 13 Tests in England. Hence, the selectors have arguably placed a lot of trust on him to spark a turnaround and deliver the goods in the current tour. His performances in the coming few matches might as well determine whether he makes it to the squad for the aforementioned series against Pakistan as well.
Meanwhile, he also touched upon his plans of preparing adequately for the T20 World Cup that will begin in June next year. Warner said that Australia will be playing a lot of cricket right until February 2024. However, post that, he might have to resort to the Indian Premier League (IPL) and a couple of other franchise leagues to be in good form for the mega tournament.
He did not even rule out turning up for the New South Wales (NSW) in the Australian domestic circuit in order to get the required playing time under his belt for the highly-anticipated 20-over World Cup. “I want to play that 2024 World Cup. It is something that is on the back of my mind,” Warner quipped.
(Edited by : Prakhar Sachdeo)
