Veteran Australian opener David Warner, who has already hung his boots from Tests and ODIs, confirmed that the T20 World Cup 2024 in the Caribbean and the USA will be his final assignment in international cricket. Warner confirmed to Adam Gilchrist during the post-match presentation after he was adjudged the player of the series for scoring 173 runs at a strike rate of 166.34 in three matches against the West Indies that the third T20I in Perth on Tuesday, February 13 was his final appearance for Australia at home.
When asked by Gilchrist if he had any plans of continuing to play for Australia in the shortest format after the T20 World Cup. "I'm well and truly done, it's time for the youngsters to come through and showcase their talent. We've got extreme talent here." The former Australian wicketkeeper batter quizzed Warner again confirming the same to which Warner responded positively, which means that his 81 (49) in the third T20I against West Indies was his final knock for Australia on
home soil.
Warner admitted that now that he is not part of the Test matches anymore, he has gotten a lot of time before the IPL and then the T20 World Cup and that he could spend some time with his daughters and look into their schooling and stuff like that. "It was good to have a break and play the franchise stuff. I've got a lot of time off after the New Zealand series, go to the IPL before we embark on a World Cup in the Caribbean," Warner said.
Australia lost the series finale after West Indies posted a huge score of 220/6 following a 139-run stand between Andre Russell and Sherfane Rutherford but clinched the three-match series 2-1. Warner with his attacking knock, which saw him breach the landmark of 12,000 runs in T20 cricket and 3,000 runs in T20Is, did keep Australia on course but 221 eventually proved to be a bridge too far as the hosts fell short by 37 runs.
Warner will next be seen in the three-match T20 series against New Zealand away.