Warner in shock bow-out
Opener retires from ODIs
David Warner has dropped a bombshell on the eve of his final Test match, with the veteran opener revealing the World Cup final in India in November was his last 50-over match for his country.
The 37-year-old retires as Australia’s sixth-leading runscorer in ODI cricket, with his 22 centuries behind only Ricky Ponting, who achieved 29 having had an extra 205 innings.
It brings an end to a career that started almost 15 years ago, with Warner bowing out having scored the most runs for Australia (535) at last year’s World Cup, including centuries against Pakistan and The Netherlands.
The news comes just two days before Warner’s final Test, against Pakistan at the SCG, with his retirement set to leave a gaping hole at the top of the batting given his ability to get Australia off to flying starts.
“I’m definitely retiring from one-day cricket as well,” he said, confirming he would continue playing T20 leagues around the world.
“That was something that I had said through the World Cup. Get through that, and winning it in India, I think that’s a massive achievement.
“So I’ll make that decision today, to retire from those forms, which does allow me to go and play some other leagues around the world and get the one-day team moving forward.
“I know there’s a Champions Trophy coming up. If I’m playing decent cricket in two years’ time and I’m around and they need someone, I’m going to be available.” Warner said he thought there may have been other players ready to step down from the ODI squad following the World Cup win in India, where they bounced back from two early losses to stun the hosts in the final.
“It was a decision that I was very, very comfortable with. To win in India, from where we were, was absolutely amazing,” he said. “The team, not just under the leadership of Patty (Pat Cummins) but the coach Andrew McDonald himself, everything’s just so calm and relaxed inside the team.
“We go out there, we’re adults, we back ourselves to train to the best of our ability and then go out there and perform. It’s the same-old, come in, get what you have to get done. We love winning.
“When we lost two games in a row in India, the bond just got stronger with each other and it’s not by fluke or by chance that we were able to get to where we were.
“The heroics of Maxi (Glenn Maxwell), the captaincy and the skills and execution of the way that we played against India was phenomenal.”
Warner also revealed that he was set to retire from Test cricket after the second Ashes Test at Lord’s last year but stayed on as Australia retained the urn despite him scoring just two half-centuries in the series.
“The second Test match, going into a five-match series, is probably out. If you’re down 2-0, and you go into that third one, and you lose that, I don’t think it’s the right choice to make (to keep picking him). It’s an easy exit,” he said.