Former Australian cricketer Ricky Ponting has made a bold statement. He said that opener David Warner should’ve retired after playing his 100th Test as it was the best time for him to call time on his career in the longest format of the game as he would’ve ended in front of his home crowd and that opportunity might not come again.
“I think they’ll want to play him in the World Test Championship match,” says Ricky Ponting
David Warner of late has come under a lot of scrutinies for his poor records in the Tests. He has struggled to make an impact in the game for Australia in the longest format of the game and it’s fair to say that we might have seen the last of him in this format.
Warner failed miserably in the two Tests of the ongoing series against India before he suffered an injury and was sent back to home. However, this was not only the series he struggled with, warner in recent times has failed to get going.
Many fans and pundits feel that Warner might not get a chance to play for Australia again in this format. But Ricky Ponting feels that team might give him a chance in the WTC Final and if he has a good outing, he then will feature in the Ashes as well.
David Warner said, "I've always said I'm playing Tests till 2024. If the selectors feel that I'm not worthy, then so be it. I can push on to the white-ball stuff".
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) February 23, 2023
Speaking in an ICC review, he said: “I think they’ll definitely want to play him in the World Test Championship match. They have got some really big decisions to make, leading into the Ashes [in England] as well. A bit like some of the selection issues they had coming to India.
“They’re probably going to have similar things to think about when they get to the UK because David’s record in the UK is not as strong as it is in some other places around the world.”
“I thought the absolute best time for Davey to retire, if he was thinking about it at all, was after the Sydney Test match here in Australia,” says Ricky Ponting
Ponting further went on to say that he feels that best time for Warner to retire was after his 100th Test. He elaborated:
“Look, I was on radio a couple of days ago, back here in Australia, and I thought the absolute best time for Davey to retire, if he was thinking about it at all, was after the Sydney Test match here in Australia. He’d just played his 100th Test in Melbourne, and obviously got 200 in the first innings down there.”
“And to bow out in front of his home crowd is obviously the way that every player would like to finish their careers. I think his career deserves to finish the way he wants it to. Sort of not to be dropped or tapped on the shoulder in the middle of an overseas tour and have his career end in that way.”
It remains to be seen if Warner gets chance in the Australian Test set-up or not.
