Ashes 2023: “No, not at all,” David Warner dismisses retirement speculations after fifth Test at Oval

Warner has amassed 201 runs in four Ashes Tests with just one half-century.

By Salman Anjum - 26 Jul, 2023

Ahead of the World Test Championship final against India last month, David Warner revealed his plans to retire from Test cricket during the upcoming Australian summer.

Warner’s Test form has been a cause of concern since 2022 and he failed to step up to the plate on a consistent basis during the tour of England.

The veteran opener registered scores of 43 and 1 in the WTC final before he amassed 201 runs from four Ashes Tests with just one half-century.

Ahead of the fifth Ashes Test, the southpaw has put the ball in the court of the Australian selectors regarding his red-ball future, having earlier expressed his desire to finish his Test career following the Sydney Test against Pakistan in January next year.

“No, not at all,” Warner replied when asked if he had considered his future during the England tour, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. “As a player that doesn’t go through your head. Going through your head is actually going out there and trying to score as many runs as you can and try and work hard on your game in the nets. If you get tapped on the shoulder [by selectors], you get tapped on the shoulder.

“For me, I’ve probably left a few runs out there but in saying that I’ve played a lot better than what I did last time [in 2019]. I’ve got in good positions, I’m looking to score, I’ve had a couple of unlucky dismissals and then dismissals where I’ve tried to negate the swing or the seam and it’s caught the outside edge of the bat.”

The fifth and final day of the fourth Ashes Test ended without a ball being bowled at Old Trafford on Saturday (July 23). As a result, the match was drawn and Australia retained the urn on account of their 2-1 lead in the series.

The fifth Ashes Test will be played at The Oval from July 27.

By Salman Anjum - 26 Jul, 2023

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