Focused on getting runs but no change in retirement plans, says David Warner

London [UK]: Ahead of the fifth and final Ashes Test, Australia opener David Warner affirmed that retirement is not what is occupying his mind and he is concerned about going out on the pitch and scoring runs for his team.

At the beginning of the last month, the left-handed opener made his Test retirement plans clear by naming Australia’s home series against Pakistan as his last, which will be played later this year. The fifth Test at The Oval on Thursday will be his last overseas match and this will also be his last chance to score his maiden Test century on English soil.

“No, not at all, (about changing his retirement plans). As a player that doesn’t go through your head. Going through your head is actually going out there and trying to score as many runs as you can and try and work hard on your game in the nets. If you get tapped on the shoulder (by selectors), you get tapped on the shoulder,” Warner said as quoted by ICC.

In Ashes 2023, Warner has produced 201 runs from eight innings. His highest score of 66 in this series came in the first innings of the third Test at Lord’s.

His output has been a bit below in comparison to his potential as a batter.

“I’ve probably left a few runs out there but in saying that I’ve played a lot better than what I did last time (in 2019). I’ve got in good positions, I’m looking to score, I’ve had a couple of unlucky dismissals and then dismissals where I’ve tried to negate the swing or the seam and it’s caught the outside edge of the bat,” Warner said.

“So for me, I feel like I’m in a good space, contributed well, and as a batting unit, we’re all about partnerships. And I think the partnerships that we’ve had in key moments of this series so far, have actually worked very well for us as a team,” he added.