David Warner shocks world with ODI retirement on 1st January 2024

David Warner’s last ODI appearance came in his country’s final win against India at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.

As the world celebrates the first day of the year 2024, cricketing fans around the globe woke up to a bad news. Right before his retirement match in Test cricket, David Warner has also called time on his One-Day International (ODI) career.

The southpaw, while addressing the media in Sydney ahead of his final test, announced his decision to retire from 50-over cricket. The left-hander will also be playing his final test at the SCG against Pakistan starting 3rd January.

Although he will be available for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024 in West Indies and USA for his country, David Warner expressed his desire to continue as a freelance T20 cricketer around the world.

In an emotional announcement during the press conference, Warner stated, “I’m definitely retiring from one-day cricket as well. 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.” Warner will end his ODI career as a two-time World Cup winner.

While David Warner is the first one from the batch of the 2023 World Cup winning team to take a call on his ODI future, he also hinted that a few more could follow suit. He added that he is comfortable to make the announcement. “It might not just be me (retiring), but no-one (else has) said anything, so I think it just is me. But, it was a decision that I was very comfortable with,” he said.

David Warner leaves door ajar for ODI return…but…

With David Warner’s retirement call, it is clear that Mitchell Marsh will be the first-choice to open in ODIs alongside Travis Head, but Warner has hinted at coming out of retirement, if required. Warner stated that if he’s fit enough in 2025 and Australia need a batter of stature, he will consider coming out of retirement to participate in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 scheduled to be played in Pakistan.

“I know there’s a Champions Trophy coming up. If I’m playing decent cricket in two years’ time and if I’m around and they need someone, I’m going to be available,” concluded Warner.

David Warner’s ODI career in numbers:

David Warner played 161 ODIs from 2009 to 2023 for Australia and racked up 6932 runs in 159 innings at an average of 45.30 and a strike rate of 97.26. He will end up as the sixth highest run-scorer for Australia in the 50-over game. Along with it, he scored 22 centuries in his career, just seven behind Ricky Ponting (29) to end his career as Australia’s second-highest century-maker in the format.

Warner was part of Australia’s two World Cup winning campaigns in 2015 and 2023. In 29 matches he played at the World Cup, he went on to score 1527 runs (second-most for his country) with six centuries (most for his country). Overall, he stands in sixth spot for run-scorers in ODI World Cup history, next to the likes of Sachin Tendulkar (2278), Virat Kohli (1795), Ricky Ponting (1743), Rohit Sharma (1575) and Kumar Sangakkara (1532).

A veteran of 111 Tests, David Warner will be seen next playing for Australia in the third test of the ongoing series against Pakistan at the SCG in the final test of his career. Warner has 8695 runs to his name in the longest format of the game in 203 innings at an average of 44.58, including 26 tons and 36 half-centuries. He also scored a triple century in whites along with two other double tons.

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