'Honest, Authentic & Satisfied' David Warner Ready for Retirement
Abhijit Singh Bhambra
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In his own words, David Warner has accomplished more than he could have imagined; he has no regrets about leaving the game he adores. As the globe celebrates the arrival of the New Year 2024, we are about to witness the end of David Warner's legendary cricket career.
Warner announced his ODI retirement just days before his final Test match against Pakistan at the Sydney Cricket Ground. He has, however, left the door open for the 2025 Champions Trophy, assuming good form.
A career that began in 2009 is fast approaching its final stop, at least in two incarnations. Warner will continue to play for Australia in T20s but has decided to devote the balance of his playing days to cash-rich leagues throughout the world. Can you blame him at 37?
Tributes have already begun to flood in. Australia's head coach, Andrew McDonald, has already dubbed him the country's top batter in all three formats. This is high praise for Warner, who was regarded as a dominant white-ball format player early in his career yet ended up playing 111 Tests for the Baggy Greens.
David Warner's Test Career Highlights
For the unreserved, Warner never claimed to be the best opener in his era but is likely to finish as one. Yes, critics might say that he was a failure in away tests and scored the majority of his runs and hundreds on Australian soil. The southpaw averages over 58 at home and 20 tons at home, compared to just six outside Australia.
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Warner failed to score a Test hundred in England, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, and India, but he never claimed to be a perfect batter. He never fit the mold of an ideal opener, looking to leave the ball and grind it out in the middle. He rather decided to smack the ball to all parts of the stadium and score as quickly as he could to give the Australian bowlers 20 wickets and win the match.
Even in his last Test series against Pakistan, his 160 runs in the first innings in Perth laid the foundation for an Australian win and gave Australia an early lead in the series. That's how he has been playing his cricket—aggressive and impactful.
He isn't shy about playing a lap shot, a stroke tailor-made for T20s into Test cricket, or even a switch hit to take the opposition bowlers by surprise and put them on the backfoot straight away. Since his debut, Australia has been banking on his aggressive exploits to win Test matches. His impact is ever so evident in Australian cricket, as he batted with 13 partners at the other end, a record in itself.
Warner is fortunate that he goes out of Test cricket with his old school opening mate, Usman Khawaja. When you achieve more than what you are supposed to, there is a feeling of contentment and satisfaction in a sportsperson's eyes. A glimpse at Warner, and one can see that after winning multiple Ashes series wins, two 50-over World Cup titles, and one T20 World Cup, there's not much for the 37-year-old to prove in his international career.
For fans like me, Warner will always be considered an entertainer first, someone in the Virender Sehwag mold for Australia. He was never meant to succeed in Test cricket, but with over 100 Tests against his name, a triple century, and silencing his critics time and time again, Warner is ready to enjoy whatever cricket is left in him post the SCG Test against Pakistan.
The fact that he is bowing out on his terms tells fans out there that in cricket, fairytale endings are a possibility, given that one realizes that his time is up, just like Warner did.
Congratulations, mate, on a successful career. Go well!
Also read: Come on Rohit and Virat, Let's move on
(The author is a cricket expert and has worked as a sports writer for broadcast and multimedia platforms for nearly a decade.)