‘Probably I owe it to myself’: David Warner names tentative retirement date

Australian cricket star David Warner stunned everyone on Saturday by announcing that the Test series against Pakistan in January 2024 could be his last red ball cricket appearance. Speaking to reporters ahead of the World Testing Championship (WTC) final against India starting on June 7, Warner said he wants to play his last Test match at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) against Pakistan next year. Australia would play the West Indies just after the Pakistan series, but Warner made it clear he would not be in the series and wanted to focus more on white ball cricket.

“You have to score points,” Warner told reporters, according to cricket.com.au.

“I always said [2024] The World Cup would probably be my last game. I probably owe it to myself and my family – if I can score points here and keep playing in Australia – I can definitely say that I will not play in that West Indies series. If I can get through this [WTC final and Ashes] and make a series about Pakistan, I will definitely finish then,” he said during the conversation.

When it comes to retiring from international cricket altogether, Warner has hinted that the 2024 World Cup will be his last appearance. However, he would play cricket franchises all over the world.

Earlier this year, Warner revealed that he and discovery partner Usman Khawaja decided not to retire at the same time.

“It is important for us not to leave this team with a big hole. I know that through those five year transition periods when many of the greats left, it was a big hole that needed to be filled with the number of games you play. We always talk about the games played and how much that means to the team’s performance and experience point of view. You cannot fill this void,” he said.