The Ashes 2023 is building up to a thrilling finale at The Oval, as Australia aims to secure their first series win in England since 2001, while the hosts are eager to level the five-Test series. Currently, Pat Cummins and his team lead by 2-1; England had a chance to draw level in Manchester if not for the rain, which played spoilsport and allowed Australia to retain the Ashes urn.
Adding to the excitement surrounding the final Test, former England captain Michael Vaughan made a bold claim about veteran Australian batters Steve Smith and David Warner. Vaughan suggested that this Test at The Oval might be the last time one may see the duo walking out to play a Test match.
The speculations around Warner’s retirement plans have been circulating, with rumours suggesting that he might retire from red-ball cricket following the fifth and final Ashes 2023 Test. Notably, Warner had previously announced his intention to call time on his Test career after the home series against Pakistan in January 2024.
Now, during an interaction with reporters ahead of The Oval Test, which begins on Thursday (July 27), The 36-year-old responded to the retirement rumours, with a hint of sarcasm, stating that he hadn’t seen or heard anything about his retirement plans because he had been busy on the golf course.
“No, I haven’t heard anything. I haven’t seen anything. I’ve been on the golf course,” the veteran cricketer said.When questioned if he would like to make an announcement regarding his retirement plans, Warner replied that he didn’t have any such announcement to make. Instead, he expressed his focus on winning the prestigious urn.
“No, I don’t have an announcement. For me, it’s about trying to work hard in the nets, as I did today. Potentially come out tomorrow and, if selected, go out there and play and try and win an Ashes series,” the Aussie southpaw further added.
The seasoned cricketer believes that Australia are well placed with good options for when his Test career does finish up, with the left-hander throwing his weight behind Matthew Renshaw as a player that could easily fill the void when both he and fellow opener Usman Khawaja departs.
“Matt Renshaw is a very good player…he’s tall, he’s exactly like Haydos (former Australia opener Matthew Hayden). We spoke about him in the early part of his career. I’ve always held him in high regard as a very good player. He’s worked on his technique. He’s been in and out of the squads, and I think he’ll be a great replacement,” Warner concluded.
David Warner is keeping reporters on their toes about his retirement this summer…#Ashes pic.twitter.com/w1jlnVkp1s
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) July 26, 2023
Warner’s performance in the Ashes 2023 series has been below his usual standards. With just 201 runs in four Tests at an average of 25.12, he has not been able to make a significant impact with the bat. The left-handed opener’s inconsistency has been evident throughout the series.
In the first Test at Edgbaston, the Paddington-born cricketer scored 9 and 36, which was a modest start to the series. He managed to hit a half-century (66) in the first innings of the Lord’s Test. The batter followed it up with 25 in the second innings. In the last two Tests, the Aussie cricketer has registered scores of 4, 1, 32 and 28.
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