David Warner remarked of his final international innings at home, “Well and truly done”
His Australian career will come to an end with the World Cup and the T20Is in New Zealand.
Australia hosted David Warner’s final international game. It’s not shocking because his retirement plan has long been known, but it’s still a big deal because he confirmed that the T20 World Cup in June would be his last international match.
“Well and truly done,” he said to Adam Gilchrist following his selection as player of the series at the Perth presentation ceremony. “Now is the moment for the youth to show off their abilities. Extreme talent is present here. We have a bright future ahead of us.”
Warner finished with a half-century, just as he did in Test cricket a little over a month ago, but this time his 81 off 49 balls wasn’t enough to lead Australia to victory. Warner announced the end of his ODI career at the same time he retired from Test cricket, but he did leave the door open to play at the Champions Trophy the following year if the team “needed someone.”
Next week, he will travel to New Zealand for a three-match Twenty20 International series. After that, he will compete in the T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA, where Australia will attempt to become the first men’s team to win the World Test Championship, the ODI World Cup, and the T20 World Cup.
After entering the series on the heels of a meager run at the ILT20, he looks ready to make an impression after collecting 173 runs in three innings against the West Indies. After Ross Taylor and Virat Kohli, he became the third player to play 100 games in each format during the opening match in Hobart.
“Clearly, he has had an incredible career,” captain Mitchell Marsh remarked. “I suppose it’s fitting that he finished with that inning the way he did. “What a gift to cricket in Australia. Regretfully, we were unable to secure victory for him.”
He now lies just 53 runs behind Aaron Finch after surpassing 3000 runs in Perth, making it all but certain that he will end his career as Australia’s top T20I run scorer.
Even though Travis Head is the favorite, it is still unclear who will open for him at the World Cup. Marsh opened in Perth, and Josh Inglis did it for the first two games against the West Indies.
Warner has expressed his desire to play in the Big Bash League, so it’s still feasible that he will play professional cricket in Australia again. However, his current two-year contract with Sydney Thunder expires this season, so he will need to negotiate a new one.
