David Warner is set to retire from Tests following the third and final Test between Australia and Pakistan at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), Sydney which gets underway on Jan 3 (Wednesday). Ahead of the final Test, Warner dropped another bomb, on Monday (Jan 1), by revealing that he will also step aside from ODIs but kept his hopes alive of playing the 2025 Champions Trophy.

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In a pre-match presser ahead of the SCG Test, Warner addressed the media and shed light on various aspects of his red-ball career. The swashbuckling left-hander has 8,695 runs including 26 tons and 36 fifties in Tests. In early 2018, during Australia’s tour of South Africa, Warner’s Test career endured a huge downfall when he was involved in the infamous ball-tampering scandal in the Cape Town match. Following the investigations, he was revealed to be the mastermind of the Sandpaper gate fiasco, leading to the suspension of then skipper Steve Smith, Cameron Bancroft and then vice-captain Warner.

While Bancroft, who committed the act, was banned for nine months, both Smith and Warner faced a year’s ban each. After serving his ban, Warner came back into the Test line-up and scored a majestic 335 not out (his highest Test score), versus Pakistan in 2019, and remained part of the red-ball setup before being set to call it quits in Jan 2024.

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‘I’ve got no regrets because you are going to have a lot of hurdles’

Recalling the entire episode, Warner said at the presser, “I knew a question like this was going to come up. When I left Africa, the first five or six people that came up to me were priests and gave me a card. Then we went on a holiday to Singapore after that and there was a big church convention. I then sat back and spoke to Candice, and said someone is clearly watching down upon us.”

He further opined, “That’s a lesson that I learned. Then spending time at home with the kids, was unbelievable. I enjoyed that. I spent a lot of time with my wife. We are sort of disconnected in a way when we travel a lot.”

Warner stated, “Reflecting back on that whole period, my whole career, I’ve got no regrets because you are going to have a lot of hurdles you are going to have to jump. There’s going to be obstacles in the way, but you have to move forward and I’ve done that with dignity. I’ve got a lot of passion for the game and it was important from my perspective that I’m giving back, making sure that I gained the respect back but making sure I’m putting Australian cricket first. I want every young kid who wants to play cricket to dream of playing for Australia and that’s what was really important for me when I came back.”

Following the ball-tampering episode, Warner was barred from holding a leadership position within the Australian team. Later, he even appealed against the suspension but withdrew it, criticising the entire process.

‘You don’t need that C or VC next to your name’

On the leadership ban, Warner said, “When I look back at that, it can be handled differently. But I think Nick (Hockley, CA’s chief executive) did his ultimate best to put that forward to the board and the decision was made, and I’m happy with that. I’ve moved forward from that. I’ve got opportunities to lead in the IPL, to lead in the ILT20. I’ve enjoyed my leadership roles.” He added, “But for me, in recent years, I’ve learned that leadership (isn’t about) wearing a captain or vice-captain badges. It’s about being true to yourself, setting an example both on and off the field. For me, I think I’m a leader in this team no matter what. You don’t need that C or VC next to your name.”

Warner will also end his ODI career, where he amassed 6,932 runs in 161 ODIs at an average of 45.30 and a strike rate of 97.26, including 22 tons and being part of Australia’s title-winning runs in the 2015 and 2023 ODI World Cups. He will continue to represent the Men in Yellow in T20Is, with focus on the 2024 T20 World Cup in West Indies and USA in June.

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