"I actually had Lord's penciled in as my last Test" - David Warner makes surprising revelation ahead of farewell Test at SCG
Australian opener David Warner made a surprising revelation that he had fixated on the second Test of the Ashes series at Lord's this year as his farewell outing in the red-ball format. It came on the eve of his final Test against Pakistan at the SCG on Wednesday, January 3.
The 37-year-old had announced his wish to step away from Tests after the ongoing Pakistan series at the start of the England tour, which featured the World Test Championship (WTC) final and the Ashes.
Speaking to reporters ahead of his farewell Test, Warner admitted that the Lord's Test could have been his last if he did not feel like he was contributing to the team.
"I said quite clearly in England before the World Test Championship, there was a lot of talk about me and my form, [and] I wanted to nip it in the bud early, I said my ideal preparation to finish would be Sydney. But I actually had Lord's penciled in as my last Test, especially if I didn't go as well as I did as a partnership with Uzzie [Usman Khawaja] at the top of the order," said Warner.
Australia had named their squad for the WTC final against India, as well as the first two Tests against England at Edgbaston and Lord's respectively. Warner scored a vital 43 in the final and an equally crucial 66 on Day 1 of the Lord's Test in challenging conditions.
Despite an inconsistent Ashes series, the southpaw made telling contributions in several valuable opening stands with Usman Khawaja to help Australia retain the urn with a 2-2 draw.
"It's been emotional since Perth" - David Warner
David Warner admitted that the emotions surrounding his Test retirement have grown since the beginning of the Pakistan series.
The 37-year-old began with a magnificent 164 in the opening Test to help Australia win by a massive 360 runs. A relatively quiet second Test followed, leading up to the series finale at the SCG.
"When I looked at Lord's as a potential finish, I didn't really have many emotions because I was content. I might not have been scoring runs, but I still had the desire to play Test cricket. I love the game of cricket, it doesn't matter what format I'm playing. But definitely, it's been emotional since Perth, since I've been back in Australia and knowing that I'm playing [my final Test]," said Warner.
"Getting that 160, putting us into a great position for the team, it hit home when people in the streets were coming up and saying, 'well done, we support you, we back you'. It really means a lot. The emotions probably started then," concluded Warner.
Warner also confirmed his retirement from ODIs while addressing the reporters on the eve of his farewell Test. The champion batter was integral to Australia winning their sixth ODI World Cup title in India.