Australia’s cricketing great, David Warner, has confirmed his retirement from international cricket following Australia’s exit from the T20 World Cup 2024.
David Warner, regarded as one of the finest batters in cricket history, saw his international career come to a disappointing end as Australia failed to advance to the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup 2024, exiting at the Super 8 stage. Australia’s hopes of progressing depended on Bangladesh defeating Afghanistan in their last Super 8 match on Monday. Although Bangladesh put up a good fight, Afghanistan, with crucial contributions from Rashid Khan, Naveen-ul-Haq, and others, managed to secure the victory, thus knocking Australia out of the tournament.
Australia’s early exit from the competition confirmed Warner’s retirement from international cricket. Warner had previously announced that the T20 World Cup in the USA and the West Indies would mark his final appearance in Australian colors.
Despite leaving the door open for a possible comeback for the next year’s Champions Trophy, it now seems improbable. Warner ended his international career in phases, playing his last ODI during Australia’s successful 2023 campaign in India, his final Test against Pakistan in early 2024, and concluding with the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Warner’s explosive 89 off 43 balls on his T20I debut against South Africa showcased his immense talent. Over his career, he amassed 3,277 runs in 110 matches, including a century against Pakistan in 2019, making him the third Australian to score centuries in all three formats of the game, along with 28 half-centuries.
Beyond international cricket, Warner enjoyed a highly successful franchise T20 career, particularly in the IPL, and in 2021, he became just the fourth batter to surpass 10,000 runs in T20 cricket.
Reflecting on Warner’s career, Australia’s Ricky Ponting shared on the ICC’s Digital Daily show, “I put my arm around him and 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 from Test cricket last summer, but it’s hard to find someone who has had such a significant impact across all formats in Australian cricket as David Warner has. I’ve had the privilege to play alongside him, coach him in the IPL in recent years, and really enjoy his company. He should be immensely proud of his achievements.”
Australia’s pacer Josh Hazlewood also commented on Warner’s retirement after their defeat to India in the Super 8s. “We will definitely miss him around the team, both on and off the field,” Hazlewood said after the loss to India. “He’s had an amazing career across all formats. We’ve had time to adjust to his absence a bit with his phased retirement from Test and ODI cricket, but it’s always a different feeling when a long-serving player departs.”
With inputs from IANS.
