David Warner, the opening batsman for Australia, has shot down rumors that he and Steve Smith are planning to retire from test cricket at the conclusion of the Ashes series against England, which will begin on Thursday at the Oval.
Although Warner wants to continue playing till the 2024 Twenty20 World Cup, he has said that he would want to play the last test of his career in Sydney against Pakistan in January of the following year.
The Ashes urn has already been held by Australia, giving them a 2-1 lead going into the final test. Michael Vaughan, a former captain of England’s cricket team, is one of the individuals who believes that both players might leave the team following the match at the Oval.
Warner referred to it as a “joke” when he was speaking to media the day before the match.
“And it seems that Smithy will be retiring as well. Therefore, it must be some kind of prank,” Warner said.
“That’s not something I’m going to take too seriously… I’m sorry, but I don’t have any news to share.”
Warner has been a mainstay at the top of the Australian batting order ever since he made his debut in 2011. He has amassed 201 runs so far in the present Ashes series, with a best score of 66 and an average of 25.12.
“I’ve probably left a few out there, but in saying that, I’ve played a lot better than what I did the last time,” Warner said.
“I feel like I’m in a good space, contributed well, and as a batting unit we’re all about partnerships, and I think the partnerships that we’ve had in key moments of this series have actually worked very well for us as a team,” he said. “I think the partnerships that we’ve had in key moments of this series have actually worked very well for us as a team.”
Warner is aware that he is getting close to the end of his career in test cricket, and the 36-year-old believes that his replacement, Matt Renshaw, will be able to dominate both the test and one-day forms of the game much like the great Australian Matthew Hayden did during his playing days.
The allegation that Warner and Smith might walk away at the Oval was deemed “completely made up” by the captain of Australia’s team, Pat Cummins. Cummins said that Warner and Smith were focused on the job at hand and disregarded the rumor.
“It’s going to be a big week,” the quick bowler added.
“If we win this one and you look back, it will have been an incredible tour by the time it’s over.”
“This tour is already going to be amazing. But to take the urn with you will be an incredible accomplishment.
“For a number of the men, this is the last item left to check off the list of championships they need to win. It’s impossible to predict whether you’ll get another opportunity to try it.”