- Warner concluded his international playing career this year
- He has officially retired from the Australian T20, ODI and Test teams.
- The place where he has now appeared will surprise many cricket fans.
Just seven months ago, David Warner scored a thrilling half-century in his final Test innings at the SCG, but now he has holed out to an Italian veteran from an obscure league that almost no cricket fan would have heard of.
Warner’s lengthy retirement ended at this year’s T20 World Cup, after his last ODI on November 23 against India and his last Test match against Pakistan in January.
His offer to come out of retirement for the Champions League tournament was politely declined by Cricket Australia.
Now the bold former Australian opener is officially a cricketer for hire, with his most recent outing a dismal failure.
Warner now plays for the Boca Raton Trailblazers in a T10 league in the Cayman Islands called MAX60.
Boca Raton, Florida, is one of the most popular places to retire in the United States, an irony not lost on many cricket fans.
If that fall from grace wasn’t enough, Warner holed out to Ben Manenti, an Australian-born Italian with just 20 first-class matches to his name, for just 12 runs.
Fox Sports commentator Justin Edwards posted the wicket on social media platform X and said: “This is what cricket has become.”
David Warner is going for big success playing in the Cayman Islands for the Boca Raton Trailblazers in the MAX60 T10 league
He made a quick return to the sheds, scoring just 12 runs in nine balls in his first match.
Warner is the star player of the Florida-based team, which is made up of international and local talents.
While Warner got off cheaply, his opening partner, Tasmanian all-rounder Beau Webster, scored 82 off 36 balls.
Some Australians mocked Warner’s performance, but most applauded him for trying to get cricket off the ground in the Cayman Islands and the United States.
“Isn’t it good for cricket in general? A player like David Werner plays in foreign tournaments after retiring from international cricket and tries to grow the sport in those countries while making money. More players should do this,” posted an Australian cricket fan.
“Imagine hating a developing cricket nation’s attempts to grow the game locally in this way,” another added.
“It’s interesting to see big names like David Warner playing in leagues like T10 in the Cayman Islands. Cricket continues to evolve with new formats and opportunities for players around the world,” posted another.
Just seven months ago, Warner scored a half-century in his final Test at the SCG.
Others said Warner had earned the right to cash in after decades of hard work for Australia.
“Maybe it’s just a holiday in the Cayman Islands with some cricket thrown in and nothing more. Cricket isn’t going to die from this,” one Australian posted on X.
“It’s just a holiday with a bit of cricket. Nothing more. But I’m not sure we can judge the future of cricket by this. He’s retired and has probably played more cricket than any other Australian in the last 10 years,” posted another.
“Ronaldo plays in Saudi Arabia…Legends should be allowed to continue playing at some level of international cricket,” said another.
Before the tournament started, Warner had tried to promote it to Australian viewers.
“Hi, I’m Dave Warner. I just wanted to share with you how excited I am to be a part of the first ever MAX60 Caribbean cricket league,” he said.
‘It should be an absolutely fantastic experience to play in such a stunning venue as Grand Cayman.
“It’s going to be absolutely amazing. So join us, the Caribbean MAX60 League starts on August 16th in the Cayman Islands. See you there.”
Other Australians in the tournament include Joe Burns, Mitchell Owen, Andrew Tye, Chris Lynn, Peter Hatzoglou, Josh Brown and Nick Hobson.
