- Warner has made shock announcement on social media
- Batter says he will play on in the T20 circuit for a while yet
- Was thought to have played his last match for his country
David Warner says he’s ‘closed a chapter’ in his playing career but has again put his hand up to play in one last international tournament next year.
The freshly retired Australian opener thanked fans, his national teammates and staff in a social media post on Monday night but said that he is ‘open’ to a comeback if selectors come calling ahead of the Champions Trophy.
The 50-over tournament is due to return after an eight-year hiatus in Pakistan next year, long after Warner supposedly played his last game for his country in last month’s T20 World Cup.
Warner, who is Australia’s sixth highest run-scorer in the format, would only have franchise cricket to press his case for the tournament and would be vying with emerging top-order pair Jake Fraser-McGurk and Matt Short for a spot.
Pressure is mounting on the Australian selectors to give Fraser-McGurk the keys to the top order in white-ball cricket after his barnstorming IPL campaign, which was not enough to unseat Warner at last month’s T20 World Cup.
Warner, 37, did not say how long he wished to continue playing on but wrote in an Instagram post he would play on the T20 circuit ‘for a while’.
‘The majority of my career was at the international level. It’s been an honour to be able to do this,’ Warner wrote.
‘100-plus games in all formats is my highlight. I want to say thanks to everyone out there who made this possible.
‘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.
‘I will continue to play franchise cricket for a while, and I am also open to playing for Aus in the Champions Trophy if selected.’
Australia’s limited overs sides will embark on the post-Warner era in September, with three T20Is against both Scotland and England before a five-match ODI series against the latter.
There will also be three home ODIs and T20Is against Pakistan in November before the Test summer begins against India.