‘I hope I put a smile on everyone’s face with the way I played’: David Warner after his final Test in Sydney | Cricket News
Australia beat Pakan eight wickets in Sydney and David Warner scored another smashing half-century in his final innings. The Southpaw has arguably been one of this generation’s most attacking and consent openers. “Exciting, entertaining, and I hope I put a smile on everyone’s face with the way I played,” the opener said after the game.
Warner has had an illustrious career for the Aussies. In 112 Test matches, the gutsy left-hander made 8786 runs at an average of 44.6, scoring 26 tons and 37 half-centuries. He also has a mammoth 335 against Pakan.
“To come here in front of your home crowd with the support they’ve shown me and the Australian cricket over the last decade of my career, I can’t thank them enough. Without you guys, we aren’t able to do what we do. It’s really much appreciated,” Warner would say.
“It’s pretty much a dream come true. You win 3-0 and cap off what’s been a great 18 months to 2 years for the Australian cricket team. World Test Championship win, Ashes series draw and then the World Cup,” Warner further said.
In addition to the red-ball format, Warner has declared retirement from the ODI format earlier in the week. He featured across 161 games and scored around 7000 runs; Warner was part of Australia’s World Cup winning squad in 2015 and recently in 2023, where he finished as Australia’s leading run-getter.
However, Warner also suggested that if he is “playing decent cricket in two years’ time and they need someone”, he’d consider a return for the 2025 Champions Trophy.
With a T20 World Cup less later this summer, Warner also expressed his interest in participating in the next season of the Big Bash League. “I definitely am keen to pursue playing Big Bash next year. There’s going to be conversations behind the scenes to allow me to do that,” he said.
With Warner’s retirement, all eyes are set on who will fill his boots in the future. Australia will be playing a two-match Test series in the aftermath of the Pakan series, and there is a fascination amongst the cricketing fraternity with the player the Australian selectors choose.