David Warner Bids Farewell to ODI Cricket
The 37-year-old had earlier announced his retirement from Test cricket ahead of the match against Pakistan.
On Monday, Warner said he was “very, very happy” with his decision to retire from ODI cricket.
He was instrumental in helping Australia win the Cricket World Cup against India last year.
Warner, who was the tournament’s top scorer, said he felt the time was right after his “really great” World Cup win.
He also said that his retirement will create opportunities for new players and give them more freedom to play franchise cricket overseas. Warner has been in the Indian Premier League for 14 seasons and has many fans.
However, he did not rule out appearing in the 2025 Champions Cup if requested.
Warner will play his 112th and final Test in his hometown of Sydney on Wednesday.
He played 161 ODI matches and scored a total of 6,932 runs, becoming Australia’s sixth highest run-scorer in ODI history.
However, his career was not without controversy.
In 2018, then Australian vice-captain Warner was banned from all international cricket for one year for his involvement in the Sandpapergate ball-tampering scandal. He was also permanently banned from any leadership position in the Australian cricket team.
Cricket Australia, the sport’s governing body in the country, said Warner had planned to artificially alter the condition of the ball with sandpaper in the game against South Africa and instructed the young players to carry out the plan. He told Australian media on Monday that he does not regret his actions.
This, along with other incidents such as Barr’s altercation with English cricketer Joe Root, has made him a polarizing figure on the cricket scene.
While he is unpopular with many English cricket fans, Australian fans have expressed frustration over the ball-tampering issue. Recently, former Australian fast bowler Mitchell Johnson questioned why Warner had to get a “heroic dismissal” in the last Test series.
It’s been five years and David Warner has yet to truly own a ball-disrupting Skanda.