David Warner’s international cricket career has come to an end not with a bang but a whimper after Australia were knocked out of the T20 World Cup before the semi-finals.
The Aussies’ fate was out of their hands following two defeats in the Super 8 group stage, with elimination confirmed on Tuesday — hours after a loss to India — when Afghanistan progressed at their expense with a thrilling win over Bangladesh.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: David Warner frustrated after nicking off in last international innings.
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The dramatic result brought the final curtain down on Warner’s 383-game international career.
The 37-year-old finished up as an ODI player last November and wrapped up in the Test arena in January, with T20s the last domino to fall.
Warner raised the bat for two fifties at the World Cup but would last just six balls in his final match in Australian colours on Monday local time (Tuesday AEST) against India.
Out for six in the first over of Australia’s chase, Warner walked off with his head down and punched his bat in frustration, taking his helmet off slowly as he left the field for what proved to be the last time.
The enormity of the occasion went unremarked upon by commentators given the result was still up in the air.
But in the end Australia’s elimination brought about an ignominious end to a career that took off when a 22-year-old Warner blasted a famous innings of 89 in a T20 win over South Africa at the MCG.
An ODI debut followed a week later, with Warner becoming an all-format star when he made his Test bow in December 2011.
He scored 26 Test centuries, top-scoring with 335 not out in the 2019 Adelaide Test, and will go down as an Ashes, Cricket World Cup, T20 World Cup and World Test Championship winner.
Warner is not naive to the fact his name will likely always be linked with the sandpaper scandal but hopes his legacy with the bat has made its own mark.
“I think it’s going to be inevitable that when people talk about me in 20 or 30 years’ time, there will always be that sandpaper scandal,” he said.
“But for me, if they’re real cricket tragics and they love cricket, (as well as) my closest supporters, they will always see me as that cricketer — someone who tried to change the game.
“Someone who tried to follow in the footsteps of the openers before me and try and score runs at a great tempo and change Test cricket in a way.”
Warner reflected on his journey ahead of the Super 8 clash with Bangladesh last week.
He claimed he had been left to fend for himself in the aftermath of the Newlands saga and said he was now relieved to be moving out of the spotlight.
“Coming back since 2018 I’ve probably … been the only one that’s ever copped a lot of flak,” Warner said.
“Whether it’s people who don’t like the Australian cricket team or don’t like me, I’ve always been that person who has copped it.
“It’s fine if they want to do that, but I always feel like I’ve taken a lot of pressure off a lot of guys as well and I think understandably I’ve been that person to be able to absorb that.
“But one can only absorb (so much). For me, it’s great to go out knowing I’m not going to cop it any more.”
– with AAP