"To have had a front row seat has been a privilege"- David Warner's wife Candice pens heartfelt note for husband on his international retirement
Australia superstar David Warner's wife, Candice, wrote a heartfelt note on her Instagram handle to pay tribute to the opening batter. With Australia eliminated from the ongoing 2024 T20 World Cup, Warner played his final game for the country after announcing earlier that the tournament would be his farewell in international cricket.
After a winning start to their campaign, the Men in Yellow suffered a shocking defeat to Afghanistan, followed by another loss to India to bow out before the semi-final. Warner enjoyed a decent run through his final tournament, averaging almost 30 at a strike rate of 139 in seven outings.
Apart from congratulating Warner on his incredible international career, his wife also mentioned some of his accolades in the name of 'facts'.
"Congratulations @davidwarner31 on one of the best international cricket careers we have ever seen for our country. To have had a front row seat has been a privilege. We will miss seeing you play for Australia but we are so excited to have you home more. Love you," wrote Candice.
She added:
"In case you forgot! FACTS - Only Australian person to have played 100 games across all 3 formats, 3rd player ever in the world. 49 International centuries across 3 formats (2nd only to Ricky Ponting), Most international centuries for an opener ever. 18995 combined international runs (2nd only to Ricky Ponting) 2x ODI World Cup Champion 1x T20 World Cup Champion 1x World Cup Player of the tournament 1x Test Championship 3x Allan Border medal winner Highest test score 335*"
David Warner finishes his career as Australia's second-leading run-scorer across formats with 18,995 runs and first in T20Is with 3,277 runs.
He was also the Player of the Tournament in their lone T20 World Cup title in 2021, including a half-century in the grand finale against New Zealand.
"We'll definitely miss him around the group" - Josh Hazlewood on David Warner
Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood admitted that the team will miss David Warner's presence following his retirement from international cricket.
The champion cricketer retired from the ODI format after Australia's triumph in the World Cup in November last year. He then played his final Test against Pakistan at Sydney in January this year.
In the press conference after Australia's latest defeat to India, Hazlewood said:
"It's been unbelievable. We'll definitely miss him around the group, out in the field and off-field - an amazing all-format career. We've had a little taste of it. It's sort of been a slow burn with Test cricket and ODI cricket, and now T20. Life without him, we've sort of gotten used to it a little bit in New Zealand. It's always different when you lose a player that's been there for so long. But we'll move on and push forward."
David Warner has left the door open for one final appearance in Aussie colors should the team require his services in the 2025 Champions Trophy.
He was integral to Australia's previous four ICC titles - the 2015 and 2023 ODI World Cups, the 2021 T20 World Cup, and the World Test Championship.