Australia’s David Warner in motion.
| Photo Credit: Reuters
Veteran opener David Warner will proceed to play white-ball cricket for Australia but mentioned he won’t take up a central contract if Cricket Australia presents one subsequent yr.
Warner has already introduced that he’ll finish his Test profession in January subsequent yr after the house sequence towards Pakistan.
The 37-year-old, who will play in his third World Cup semifinal on November 16 towards South Africa, nonetheless, reiterated he’s open to taking part in white-ball cricket for Australia till the ICC T20 World Cup within the USA and West Indies subsequent yr, and probably till the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy in Pakistan.
He cited the examples of former Australia all-rounder Brad Hogg, West Indies’ Chris Gayle and Pakistan’s Shoaib Malik, limited-overs specialists who continued taking part in past 40.
“Everyone wants to set themselves a realistic goal. My goal is still to set my sights on playing the Twenty20 World Cup in the Caribbean first (in June next year), and I think from there I’ll probably decide what I’m going to do with white-ball cricket,” Warner informed Australian media right here on November 14.
“I’m still feeling fit. I’m very comfortable with what I’m doing. So I’ve got to sit down and look at what there is, and what I can play.” Warner, nonetheless, made it clear that he won’t take up a central contract as it will have an effect on his participation in franchise T20 leagues throughout the globe and sponsorship alternatives, which is important at this juncture of his profession.
“I won’t be taking a contract, definitely not. How the system works in Australia is that if you play five (T20) games or ODIs, or three Tests, you get upgraded and then you’re legally bound by contracting system with sponsors and stuff,” he mentioned.
“That’s something that becomes a bit of a pain in the backside, especially at my stage of my career. So I don’t want to be signed to that agreement and that’s something I have to think about moving forward, because if you’re going to get a low contract, it’s going to cost you a lot in the long run with sponsorships.
“I’ve bought to sit again and take a look at what the schedule is, the (ICC) Future Tours schedule and you have got a Champions Trophy that is developing as nicely. So they’re probably on my horizon,” the left-handed opener added.
Warner said he doesn’t want to deny a promising upcoming cricketer a central contract by accepting one in the twilight of his cricketing career.
“It’s very troublesome to say, ‘I would like to play Twenty20s and one-dayers’, but you don’t need to be taking contracts from a younger child that is coming via,” said Warner, who is Australia’s leading run-scorer in the ongoing World Cup with 499 runs from nine innings.
“And, to be honest, it is in all probability pointless me taking that contract provided that I’m not going to be taking part in Test cricket… but you don’t need to disturb what’s taking place as nicely.
“Twenty-year-olds now are going to have to make the decision of whether they’re going to go and play international cricket or franchise cricket,” he mentioned.
“Fortunately enough, I’ve had a very good, successful international career and I’m at the back end where I’m able to choose that.”
