David Warner has announced his retirement from ODI cricket ahead of his final Test match in Sydney.
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In a press conference at the Sydney Cricket Ground on January 1, Warner announced his decision to retire from the ODI format (along with Test cricket) but has kept the possibility of participating in the 2025 Champions Trophy open.
“I’m definitely retiring from one-day cricket as well,” Warner said. “That was something that I had said through the World Cup, get through that, and winning it in India, I think that’s a massive achievement.
“So I’ll make that decision today, to retire from those forms, which does allow me to go and play some other leagues around the world and sort of get the one-day team moving forward a little bit.
“I know there’s a Champions Trophy coming up. If I’m playing decent cricket in two years’ time and I’m around and they need someone, I’m going to be available.”
The ongoing Test series against Pakistan is Warner’s last. Midway through 2023, he had announced his desire to retire from Test cricket after the upcoming New Year’s Test at SCG. With his announcement today, Warner has effectively gone the T20-only route.
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If he doesn’t end up making a comeback for the 2025 Champions Trophy, Warner’s last ODI would turn out to be the 2023 World Cup final in Ahmedabad. Warner scored 535 runs in a successful 2023 World Cup campaign for Australia, including two fifties and two hundreds. He will retire 68 runs short of 7,000 runs in the format.
No Australian batter has scored more runs at a higher average in ODI cricket than Warner, though Ricky Ponting (29) has scored more centuries than him (22).
Warner had made some social posts after the 2023 World Cup victory, hinting that he might continue on till the next World Cup in 2027. However, that seems highly unlikely now, given his announcement today (January 1).
Warner is still available to play for Australia in the shortest format though, and is expected to feature in the 2024 T20 World Cup, which can potentially be his last outing in international cricket.