David Warner Says He Is Tired Of Everyone Making This Series All About Him, Says It Is About The Entire Team

Australia veteran opener David Warner says he was sick of the narrative “being all about me” leading to Australia’s three-match test series against Pakistan. The series has been billed as the left-hander’s farewell series, with the 37-year-old mentioning previously that he wanted to play his last match on his home ground of the SCG. However, a scathing column in The Sunday Times from former Australian seamer Mitchell Johnson got the billing under scrutiny.

Mitchell Johnson felt that his former teammate didn’t deserve a farewell match and someone new should have had the opportunity to open for Australia. Johnson believed so because of David Warner’s involvement in the 2018 sandpaper gate scandal in South Africa and his form. However, Warner spoke in Perth ahead of the first ball on Thursday, he nullified the remarks by Johnson saying that finishing in Sydney was his ambition and that scoring runs and doing what’s best for his team would dictate how he finished his career.

“For me, leading into the World Test championship it was about how many Tests I was going to play. Looking back, if people read my comments, an ideal scenario would be to finish in Australia, but you’ve still got to score runs; you’ve still got to perform. Lord’s was going to be my last Test if I wasn’t scoring runs in England,” David Warner said.

‘I Want The Media To Be Focused On Team’, Says David Warner

“But we managed to keep winning and keep going well, so the selectors kept the faith in me and the team. Moving forward from there, it’s one of those things where you’ve got to perform. I want to keep the media focused on the team and, the Ashes and the World Test Championship. I was sick of it all being about me. It’s not about me at all. It’s about the team. If we’re winning and we’re succeeding, and I’m doing my job, so be it.”

David Warner’s teammates were staunch in their defense of the veteran southpaw. He was sent straight into the action on the first morning in Perth against Pakistan after skipper Pat Cummins won the toss and chose to bat first. He has opened the innings with Usman Khawaja.

The left-hander, who has an excellent average of 44.43 across 109 Tests, was off the mark with the very first ball of the series. He survived a nervy start against Pakistan star pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi with a close play and miss on a cut shot and edging one over the slips cordon. David Warner has already crossed his half-century with a quickfire innings and he is striking at a rate above 100 against the Pakistan bowling currently.