 "David Warner confirmed international retirement on Instagram but is ready to make a comeback. PTI")
David Warner is ready to play in the 2025 Champions Trophy for Australia if selected despite announcing his international retirement over the last 12 months. The Australian opener retired from Test cricket in January and added that the 2023 ODI World Cup was his last in the 50-over format while also mentioning he would not mind returning for the Champions Trophy . His international career came to an end with Australia’s exit from the recently-concluded T20 World Cup 2024.
The 37-year-old, however, has now said in an Instagram post that he is open to playing for Australia in the 2025 Champions Trophy which will take place in Pakistan in February-March.
“I will continue to play franchise cricket for a while, and I am also open to playing for [Australia] in the Champions Trophy if selected,” he wrote on Instagram.
It will be interesting to see if Australia pick him for the Champions Trophy given that he will be missing the matches before the tournament.
Talking about the same in January, Australia ODI captain Pat Cummins had said that it was time to try out other players.
“I think it’s probably time to give some others a crack [in ODIs], but knowing that he’s going to still be playing cricket,” Cummins said. “So it might be more of a kind of break glass in an emergency option. But, you know, David is going to be scoring runs somewhere in the world. So you never quite know that this is [the end].”
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More ShortsWarner reflects on his career
Besides mentioning the Champions Trophy, Warner also reflected on his successful international career in which he played 383 matches across formats and scored a whopping 18,995 runs.
“Chapter closed!! It’s been an unbelievable experience to play at the highest level for such a long period,” Warner wrote in his Instagram post. “Australia was my team. The majority of my career was at the international level. It’s been an honour to be able to do this. 100+ games in all formats is my highlight.
“I want to say thanks to everyone out there who has made this possible. My wife and my girls, who sacrificed so much, thank you for all your support. No person will ever know what we’ve been through. For all the cricket fans out there, I truly hope I have entertained you and changed cricket, especially tests, in a way where we scored a bit faster than others. We cannot do what we love without the fans, so thanks.”