Australia cricket news, David Warner confirms his retirement from ODIs and Tests

Australia cricket news,

David Warner has announced his retiremen

David Warner has announced his retirement from one-day international cricket ahead of his final Test match. The veteran opener said the time was right to end his ODI career after Australia's 2023 World Cup win in India, where he was the team's leading run-scorer.

David Warner had been considering retirement ahead of the tournament and made his decision public at a press conference on Monday ahead of his Test swansong at the SCG this week.

It was a decision I was very comfortable with,” said the 37-year-old. “To win in India, where we were from, was absolutely amazing.

“When we lost two games in a row in India, the bond became stronger with each other and it was not a fluke or a fluke that we were able to reach where we are. So I will take a decision today, to retire from this form (ODIs)."

David Warner retired as the sixth highest run-scorer in Australia's ODI history, amassing 6932 runs in his 161 matches. His 22 centuries are the second most by any Australian ODI player, behind only Ricky Ponting, who scored 29 runs in 105 more innings than Warner.

If called upon, David Warner said he would be open to a return to the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy in Pakistan. The Champions Trophy is the only piece of silverware missing from David Warner's resume; Last time Australia won in 2009, he is still not locked in for XI.

"If I'm playing decent cricket in two years and I'm around and they need someone, I'll be available," he said. Australia will defend their ODI World Cup title in South Africa in 2027.

David Warner flagged the decision to quit ODIs will create more opportunities for the franchise to play cricket overseas, including the UAE-based ILT20. He is keen to remain in the BBL after his contract with the Sydney Thunder expires at the end of this summer.

"I'm definitely looking forward to playing the Big Bash next year," said David Warner, who will take up a commentary role with Fox Sports next summer. “There has been a lot of talk about the ILT20 which will start, I'm sure, after the BBL. So I like to play around with commentary stuff and that.

David Warner has been an IPL player since 2009 but amid a busy international schedule, he has never featured in the Pakistan Super League or England's The Hundred. He played one season in the Caribbean Premier League and Bangladesh Premier League before the Covid-19 pandemic.

David Warner final Test match starts on Wednesday at home, where Australia have a chance to whitewash the series 3-0 against Pakistan. Ahead of the World Test Championship final and the Ashes in Australia this winter, David Warner flagged his intention to bide time after the Sydney Test, a plan that was deemed self-serving by some vocal critics.

There was a lot of talk about me and my form. I wanted to nip it in the bud early," David Warner said on Monday. The 37-year-old dispelled lingering doubts about his ability to make it to the SCG with 164 in the first Test against Pakistan in Perth. But had he and opening partner Usman Khawaja struggled at the start of the Ashes, or had Australia not won the first two Tests at Edgbaston and Lord's, things could have panned out differently.

"I said my ideal preparation for the finish would be in Sydney," David Warner recalled. “But I had actually penciled in Lord's as my last Test, especially if I didn't go as well as I did with the partnership with Uzi.

“If you're down 2-0, and you go to that third, and you lose it, I don't think it's the right choice to make (continue the game). If I had failed and we hadn't won, it would have been an easy decision. I didn't want to put the team or the selectors in a position where they have to think, 'Mate, it's time to move on'. It was more about me going, 'I'm happy with this. I'm happy with that, I've had a great career.

A first Test century in England eluded David Warner in his fourth Ashes but he started in the first two matches, most notably hitting 66 at Lord's, his highest in Tests in England for almost eight years. Warner's opening partnership with Khawaja crossed 60 in three of Australia's first four Ashes innings, making him feel he had earned his SCG swansong.

David Warner admitted that emotions started to stir after the first Test against Pakistan in Perth. "When I looked at Lord's as a possible finish, I didn't have much emotion because I was satisfied," he said. “But of course it's been emotional since Perth, because I'm back in Australia and knowing I'm playing (my last Test).

“Getting that 160, put us in a great position for the team, it hit home when people on the street came up and said, 'Well done, we support you, we support you'. It really means a lot