David Warner: “I had Lord’s Ashes game against England penciled in as my last Test”

Opening batsman David Warner of Australia said on Monday that if he had not made any runs in the second Ashes Test at Lord’s last year, he was prepared to retire from Test cricket. At his home ground of Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), Warner will play his final Test match against Pakistan, ending the longest format of the game. Warner had stated that he will retire from playing cricket in his home stadium at the beginning of the visit to the UK in advance of the ICC World Test Championship final against India, but he also mentioned that form would be taken into consideration. Additionally, selectors chose the team for the first two Ashes Tests at that time, according to ESPNCricinfo.

In the Australia victory match at Lord’s, Warner amassed scores of 66 and 25 in each of the two innings. Additionally, he had scored a crucial 43 in the opening inning of the World T20 Championship, laying the groundwork for centuries from Steve Smith and Travis Head. However, the first Ashes Test was uneven, as he was only able to score nine and thirty-six at Edgbaston. Warner and Usman Khawaja shared three significant half-century stands in the first two Ashes Tests, and in the final Test at The Oval, Warner and Khawaja put on a 140-run stand. With a score of 164 in the opening Pakistan Test in Perth, he achieved the milestone and silenced all of his detractors.

“After that, we simply continued to play some excellent innings together. I never got that hundred [in England] that I had always desired. However, we all performed our part as a team, so getting to this conclusion is fantastic; it’s not about me, it’s about us. Although we have won the series, it would be fantastic for the team to win 3-0 and have a clean sheet at the SCG,” he continued. Warner claimed he never questioned his skills but always sought to do what was best for the team.

“I don’t think it’s the correct decision to make [to continue playing] if you are down 2-0 and you lose the third one. It’s a simple way out. A second reason, in my opinion, was that it would have been simpler to choose “if I was failing and we hadn’t won,” Warner remarked. “I didn’t want to place the selectors or the team in a situation where they had to tell themselves, ‘Hey, it’s time to move on.'” It was more like, “I’m okay with that,” from my perspective. I am content with it; my career has been fantastic.

“I was satisfied when I considered Lord’s as a possible finale, therefore I did not feel particularly strong feelings. Even if I wasn’t making runs, I still wanted to play Test cricket. No matter what format I play, I adore the game of cricket. But since returning to Australia and realizing that this is my last Test match, it has undoubtedly been emotional since Perth,” he remarked. “Achieving that 160 and placing the team in a great position was made especially evident when passersby approached and congratulated us, saying, ‘Well done, we support you, we back you.'” It has great significance. That’s when the feelings most likely began,” the batter continued.

Warner stated “who has given his all” was how he wanted to be remembered as a Test player.
“A young man from the housing commission is dreaming. While I haven’t always followed the pattern, I have always been genuine and honest, and I believe that comes through in the way I’ve performed in Test cricket matches. Even the lap shots I play in T20 cricket are similar to this. Even after this final test, I’m still doing everything I can to improve. “I am eager to score runs,” Warner declared. “I simply want to leave behind that you can go out and play the way you want to play, since it’s no different than any other game. You are free to play; if you’d like, you can perform reverse sweeps like Joe Root. “You must trust and believe in yourself because you are capable of achieving that,” he said.