David Warner, one of the greatest openers in cricket history, has confirmed that the third T20 against West Indies was his last international match on Australian soil. The 37-year-old confirmed that he will not play for Australia after the 2024 T20 World Cup, which is scheduled to take place in West Indies/USA in June.
Warner has already bid farewell to the other two formats - from ODIs on January 1, 2024, and from Test cricket on January 6, 2024. His absence will be a big loss for Australian cricket but opens the door for youngsters to take the stage and showcase their talent.
The veteran cricketer will be next up against New Zealand for his final international series, followed by the participation in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for Delhi Capitals. In a similar fashion to his ODI retirement, Warner will hang up his boots after the T20 World Cup.
It's time for the youngsters to come through: Warner
The southpaw continues his sublime form towards the end of his career. He won the Player of the Series award against Windies for leading the batting unit with two fifty-plus scores in three matches. In the series opener in Hobart, Warner played a match-winning knock of 70 off just 36 balls. He could score only 22 runs in the second match but compensated with a 49-ball 81 in the final game. However, Warner could not win his last match in Australia as West Indies avoided a series whitewash by 37 runs.
"It was good to have a break and play the franchise stuff. I've got a lot of time off after the New Zealand series, go to the IPL before we embark on a World Cup in the Caribbean. Was quite surprised an opening bowler at 145kph and swings it not trying to get me out. Go the Caribbean, the boundaries aren't too big there. I'm well and truly done, it's time for the youngsters to come through and show their talent," Warner said after winning the POTS award.
Despite being at the end of his career, Warner will remain a key player in Australia's squad for the upcoming World Cup. He is one of the few Australian players to have played 100 or more matches in all formats of the game. In his 102 T20I matches, Warner has scored 6397 runs at an average of 41.54 and a strike rate of 139.92. He also has four hundreds to his name.