David Warner won’t retire after 2023 Ashes series … and neither will Steve Smith

The Aussie opener says he isn’t going anywhere just yet … but a career in the commentary box will start sooner rather than later.

David Warner leaves the filed after being dismissed by Chris Woakes on day one of the fourth Ashes Test at Old Trafford. Picture: Getty Images

Back in your box everyone. David Warner is not going to retire, neither for that matter is Steve Smith.

Warner is, however, enjoying the speculation and happy to throw a few red herrings out there just to keep everyone guessing.

“Johnny Farnham had one last tour and kept going so who knows, I might have to keep you guessing,” he says, before admitting the finish line is this summer.

Warner is at the centre of retirement speculation this week and set the hounds running when word got out he would do a press conference with the travelling Australian press pack.

“I haven‘t seen anything, I’ve been on the golf course,” he said on Tuesday at The Oval. “No, I don’t have an announcement. For me it’s about trying to work hard in the nets as I did today, potentially come out tomorrow and yeah, if selected, go out there and play and try and win an Ashes series.”

Warner was amused when asked why he seemed to create so many headlines.

“You‘ve got to get subscribers to your channels and paywalls that you guys have,” he said. “I guess when I’m done you guys will have to work a bit harder. I actually don’t know to be honest. Maybe because I have been outspoken. I do give headlines. And hopefully I can keep giving them when I’m in the commentary box.”

Warner has signed a deal with Fox Cricket and will move into commentary as early as this summer.

He says he has learned to deal with the attention and the negativity from some quarters.

“It does wear you down a bit, but you‘ve got to compartmentalise from the game and then the off field stuff,” he said. “I’m blessed to have three beautiful children and a great wife. So that occupies a lot of my time. As athletes on the field we know what we have to do. And we know what comes with the job.

“If I can give any advice to anyone out there, you just have to have thick skin, soak it up and just front up. That‘s the best thing to do. We’ve all got a job to do, you guys have to write about cricket. That’s what you do. What we have to do is go out there and try to entertain and score runs. And if we don’t we won’t be here to talk about it.”

Michael Clarke accepted the reality of his situation at The Oval in 2015 and walked away from the game, but Warner said he was keen to keep his hat in the ring for at least the first part of the Australian summer.

David Warner (left) goes on the attack on day three of the fourth Ashes Test at Old Trafford. Picture: Getty Images

Warner said he had not felt under threat in recent series despite all the speculation.

“As a player that doesn‘t go through your head,” he said. “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, you get tapped on the shoulder. You can’t have that doubt in the back of your mind going from game day to practice.”

Working hard in the nets ... David Warner. Picture: Getty Images

There are no guarantees but in an ideal world he wants to retire after the Sydney Test; in the real world, it is up to selectors to decide if that is best for Australian cricket. They clearly thought he was the right man for India and England, conditions which could end or seriously set back the career of the next opener.

That is not a concern in the home summer.

In the Ashes, Warner has a top score of 66, an average of 25 and a desire to go out on the right note at The Oval where everything is on the line.

“I‘ve probably left a few out there but in saying that I’ve played a lot better than what I did last time,” he said. “So I’ve been 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, 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.”

Warner indicated the team was conscious of succession plans, with Usman Khawaja also coming to the end.

“That‘s the selectors’ job and hopefully they’ve been looking at some talent around Australia. And also, the hardest thing I think moving forward is we’ve always had players that have come and played both forms in all three forms now. So are they going to be inclined to pick someone like that? That’s obviously their job,” he said.

“I‘ve always said, you know, Matt Renshaw is a very good player. He can play both formats quite easily. He’s tall. He’s exactly like Haydos. We spoke about him in his early part of his career. I’ve always felt and held him in high regard as a very good player. He’s worked on his technique. He’s been in and out of the squads, and I think he’ll be a great replacement.

“And then on the other side of that, we‘ve always had someone who’s been up the other end to actually soak up some of the pressure and bat normally. I’m not sure who that might be, but Hunty (Henry Hunt) and Bryce (Street) are well at home so there are two guys that have been looked at for A series and they’re probably good players to fit that sort of mould.

“I think there‘s a there’s a few guys that are there ready to come in, and you’ve always got Harry (Marcus Harris) who’s here so he’s probably got the front row seat. And I’m excited to see what he has. When he gets that opportunity again.”

Warner and his nemesis Stuart Broad, like most players on the two sides, have developed a weary admiration for each other after years of sparring. If the Englishman gets the Australian’s wicket at The Oval for the 18th time they will have grabbed themselves a slice of history.

Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh both dismissed Michael Atherton 17 times in his career and the former England captain will be happy that record is no longer his.

Warner says facing opposition bowlers has changed in recent years, with rotation making the batter’s job more difficult.

“I think because the game has obviously evolved and there‘s a lot of Test match cricket being played, there’s rotation so I think it’s actually a harder thing to come up against because you’re not actually getting the same bowlers all the time,” he said.

“You might get one, potentially two, so with a chop and change you actually have to adapt to different things.

“So like Woakesy will stay over the wicket to me all the time. Robinson will probably stay over the wicket, he won‘t come around, Broad will always stay around. So in the back of your mind with the training, you’ve got to adapt at training.

“That‘s probably been the hardest challenge I think. But they’ve got world class bowlers in their attack, you know, they’re all mid 30s like myself, so it’s just great to see them keep coming.

“They probably don‘t have much cricket left in them and it will be sad to see a lot of those guys leave and we have to applaud the way that they’ve kept coming year after year. And it’s been an exceptional effort by them and I know when I finish I won’t miss them.”