AUS vs PAK: "I Actually Had Lord's Penciled In As My Last Test" - David Warner's Shocking Revelation Before Farewell Test

Australian opener David Warner revealed that he had contemplated retiring from Test cricket in the middle of last year’s Ashes series. David Warner expressed his initial plan to conclude his Test career after the match at Lord’s if his performance didn’t improve.

David Warner will play his final Test match during the third Test against Pakistan at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). Before the World Test Championship final against India, he expressed his intention to retire from the longer format of the game at his home ground.

Warner posted scores of 9 and 36 runs in the opening Test of the last Ashes series. The left-handed batter notched a half-century in the first innings of the Lord’s Test, contributing 66 runs in challenging conditions. He added 25 runs in the second innings of that match.

I Didn’t Have That Hundred In England – David Warner

David Warner expressed joy at the prospect of concluding the series against Pakistan with a 3-0 whitewash. Warner revealed that he had initially contemplated making Lord’s his final Test, especially if his partnership with Usman Khawaja didn’t materialize as expected.

“I said quite clearly in England before the World Test Championship, there was a lot of talk about me and my form, [and] I wanted to nip it in the bud early, I said my ideal preparation to finish would be Sydney. But I actually had Lord’s penciled in as my last Test, especially if I didn’t go as well as I did as a partnership with Uzzie [Usman Khawaja] at the top of the order,” Warner said on Monday.

“Then from there it just followed on that we played some good innings together. I didn’t have that hundred [in England] that I always wanted but eluded me. But as a team and as a whole we did our bit, so to get this ending is awesome, but it’s not about me, it’s about us. We’ve won the series, but to win 3-0 and have a whitewash here at the SCG would be a great thing for the team,” he added.

The veteran opener played a crucial role by contributing 43 runs on the first day as Australia emerged victorious over India in the WTC final at The Oval. In the first two Ashes Tests, Warner formed three half-century partnerships with Usman Khawaja.

It Would Have Been An Easier Decision – David Warner

Warner emphasized that he never doubted his ability but wanted to make the best decision for the team. He expressed that if the team was down 2-0 and faced a potential loss in the third match, it wouldn’t be the right choice to continue playing.

“If you’re down 2-0, and you go into that third one, and you lose that, I don’t think it’s the right choice to make [to keep playing]. It’s an easy exit. For me, a second [reason] was if I was failing and we hadn’t won, then it would have been an easier decision,” Warner said.

“I didn’t want to put the team or the selectors in a position where they had to think about, ‘mate, it’s time to push on’. It was more about me just going, ‘I’m content with that. I’m happy with it, I’ve had a great career’. But if I could still do my best and bat well with Uzzie and put us into a good position…I could do that for the rest of the series.”

David Warner has also announced his retirement from the ODI format as he prepares for the final Test. Having made his debut in 2009, He scored 6,932 runs in 161 games at an impressive average of 45.30 and a striking strike rate of 97.26, featuring 22 centuries.

Also read: AUS vs PAK: David Warner Set For Farewell As Australia Confirms Unchanged 13-Member Squad For Final Test