A little over a month ago, David Warner had indicated that he’s heading into the last year of his Test career, and will put all his focus on white-ball cricket with two World Cups in the next two years – 2023 ODI WC in India, and 2024 T20 WC in US and WI.
“Test cricket will probably be the first one to fall off,” Warner said on Triple M’s Deadset Legends in November. “Because that’s how it will pan out. The T20 World Cup is in 2024, (one-day) World Cup next year. Potentially it could be my last 12 months in Test cricket. But I love the white-ball game; it’s amazing.”
Australia’s two most high-profile Test series in 2023 is in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in February-March in India, and the Ashes in mid-year in the English summer. Apparently, Warner is eyeing the Ashes as his swansong.
However, there is a possibility that he could not get to choose his Test retirement series, and might even be dropped from the Australian Test team owing to his poor and low scores and his underperformance in the whites for a sustained period of time.
The latest of his low scores came in the Gabba Test against South Africa which concluded in just two days. Warner can be pardoned for his scores of 0 and 3 in a Test where 34 wickets fell inside two days, only 867 balls were bowled, making it the second-fastest Test ever completed in Australia, and only two batters scored a half-century.
David Warner could be dropped from Australia’s Test team after South Africa series
But Warner’s drought in the longest format has been going on for a considerable amount of time now, so long that it cannot be ignored, and certainly not by the selectors who’d be keeping an eye on him in the remaining two Tests against South Africa.
The left-hander has averaged only 26 in Tests since 2021, with just 4 fifties in 27 innings and no hundred, despite playing 18 of those 27 knocks at home in Australia.
“The signs weren’t good there with the technique. I do think the quicker bowlers worry him,” legendary batsman Waugh told Fox Cricket ahead of day two at the Gabba.
“I think he’s lacking in confidence… he needs some runs in the next couple of Test matches to keep being picked in the Test team.”
Waugh reckons Warner’s reputation has gotten him a long rope, but won’t help him for much long.
“It doesn’t matter who you are: your job as a batsman is to make runs. He’ll be given a bit of leeway because of his record and who he is, but how much leeway do you keep giving a batsman?
“The selectors would want to see him make some runs in the next couple of Test matches otherwise his Test future would have to be in doubt.”
The Boxing Day Test at the MCG will be Warner’s 100th Test. Question remains how many more can he add to that list?
