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‘Not the way he’d wanted’: David Warner retires from international cricket

The tributes have flown thick and fast after Afghanistan beating Bangladesh didn’t only end Australia’s World Cup campaign.

Andrew McMurtryAndrew McMurtry
@AndrewMcMurtry
4 min read
June 25, 2024 - 9:03PM
Warner falls cheaply in last match for Australia?

David Warner’s 15-year international career is officially over after Australia were dumped out of the T20 World Cup.

While Warner received a hero’s send off after calling an end to his Test career, his T20 send off was as far from those scenes as possible.

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Warner started the World Cup well with a half-century against Namibia, and while he finished 53 not out against Bangladesh, the 37-year-old wasn’t able to replicate the heroics he had dished out so often in the past at the pointy end of tournaments.

He scored 3 against Afghanistan and 6 against India to finish with 178 runs at 29.66 for the tournament.

While Warner received his plaudits after his Test career ended, he was privately farewelled with the likes of Virat Kohli coming over for a chat as Australia had to wait to learn their fate at the tournament.

This is how the world truly thinks of David Warner. Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images
This is how the world truly thinks of David Warner. Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images

Similarly, Australian legend Ricky Ponting caught up with Warner on-field with a piece of advice.

“(I) put my arm around him,” he recounted on ICC’s Digital Daily show.

“I said, ‘ … just take a moment tonight to sit back by yourself and reflect on what’s been an unbelievable career across all three formats for Australia.’

“We know he retired in the summer from Test cricket, but you’ll struggle to find a guy that’s had as big an impact on all three forms in Australian cricket than David Warner has.

“I’ve been able to play with him, I’ve been able to coach him in the IPL the last couple of years and I really enjoy his company. So he should be very proud of what he’s done.”

But hours later, Afghanistan’s eventual eight-run win over Bangladesh not only ended Australia’s tournament, but also Warner’s career in Australian colours.

“We’ll give him a send-off tonight if that is the case later on. It might be a bit of a late one if the fixture finishes the way it has,” Head said of plans to gather at their St Lucia hotel.

“A lot has been said about how good Davey has been at the top of the order.

“He goes down as our best multi-format player. He’ll be missed at the top of the order, but let’s hope it’s not the end of it.”

But while some Australians — and most English fans — will never get over the Cape Town sandpaper scandal that rocked his career, it’s clear most of the cricket world are sad to see the back of the diminutive opener.

The combative Warner stood tall at the top of the Australian order ever since his international debut in January 2009, and as opening partners came and went.

He hangs up his pads as arguably Australia’s greatest three-format player. He is the country’s leading run-scorer in T20 cricket with 3277 from 110 games.

Warner exited a glittering 112-Test career in January after plundering 8786 runs at an average of 44.60, with a strike rate of 70.19. His one-day exploits were equally impressive, crunching 6932 runs from 161 matches.

Warner chirping until the end. Photo by Chandan Khanna / AFP
Warner chirping until the end. Photo by Chandan Khanna / AFP

“He is probably our greatest-ever three-format player. He’ll be a loss,” Australia coach Andrew McDonald said recently.

“Other people have been gunning for him for a period of time, but for us internally, we’ve seen the great value and what he brings to the table, hence why we’ve kept picking him.”

But despite being a controversial figure, the cricket world paid tribute to Warner.

The Barmy Army wrote on Twitter: “David Warner out for 6 on Stuart Broad’s birthday? Poetic”.

One Pakistani cricket commentator described it as heartbreaking.

Plenty more thanked Warner, while more labelled his international career “legendary”.

But for all his exploits on the pitch, Warner made enemies along the way and will forever be remembered for his key role in a notorious ball-tampering scandal in 2018.

Warner was seen as the chief plotter when Cameron Bancroft used sandpaper to scuff the ball before a crude attempt to conceal the evidence down his trousers during a Test in Cape Town.

Along with skipper Steve Smith, Warner was suspended for a year by Cricket Australia, stripped of the vice-captaincy and banned from ever leading the team.

Warner, who will continue to play T20 cricket in leagues around the world and will also be a commentator, admitted this month he would always be tarnished by “Sandpaper-gate”.

“I think it’s going to be inevitable that when people talk about me in 20 or 30 years’ time, there will always be that sandpaper scandal,” he said.

He feels he has been unfairly singled out.

“Whether it’s people who don’t like the Australian cricket team or don’t like me, I’ve always been that person who has copped it,” he added.

For that reason, Warner said he was looking forward to international retirement. “One can only absorb (so much),” he said. “For me, it’s great to go out knowing I’m not going to cop it anymore.”

With AFP

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Originally published as ‘Not the way he’d wanted’: David Warner retires from international cricket

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