- David Warner’s international career ended with a whimper
- The Australian batsman was left out of the T20 World Cup
- His final goodbye came on the birthday of his archrival Stuart Broad.
David Warner’s final farewell could not have come in more unusual circumstances.
Warner, the country’s most prolific walking opener and hard-hitting batsman, retired while most Australians slept with a push at first slip.
Warner spoke during his Twenty20 World Cup farewell about his relief at exiting the limelight early, frustrated by the never-ending fallout from the 2018 ball-tampering scandal.
But even he wouldn’t have wanted the low-key nature of his final farewell in Australia’s Super Eight defeat to India.
This was a far cry from the fanfare that came with Warner’s last test at the SCG, which included an almost week-long saga over his missing Baggy Green cap.
It is also nothing like his ODI exit, where he celebrated a second world title.
Instead, this was in front of a half-full Daren Sammy Stadium in St. Lucia, as Australia battled to keep their T20 World Cup alive.
At home, his dismissal came at 2.40am on a Tuesday morning on the east coast, a time hardly seen by even the most dedicated cricket fan.
David Warner ended his controversial international career in the worst possible way
The Australian batsman made minimal impact as his nation crashed out losing to India.
And for the first time, this World Cup was not broadcast on free-to-air television, but rather locked behind a paywall with the Amazon Prime streaming service.
With Australia chasing 206 for the win, the 37-year-old bowled his second ball through cover and finished from deep with a cut shot for four.
Even after Australia were defeated by 24 runs and he left the field for the final time, Warner still did not know if his international career was over.
Instead, it all ended at the team hotel, watching as Afghanistan beat Bangladesh in dramatic fashion and sealed their place in the semi-finals ahead of Australia.
Meanwhile, somewhere in England, Warner’s Ashes nemesis Stuart Broad celebrated his 38th birthday as the Australian batsman was hard at work in his final international match.
Warner finishes as Australia’s second-most prolific run-scorer in all formats, standing at 18,995 runs, only behind Ricky Ponting’s 27,483.
As an opener, he remains unmatched: Australia’s most prolific in Test and T20 cricket, while he is second only to Adam Gilchrist at the top of the order in ODIs.
Ironically, his last match coincided with the 38th birthday of his Ashes rival Stuart Broad.
The left-hander burst onto the scene as a one-of-a-kind player, blasting 89 off 43 balls against South Africa at the MCG.
He now finishes as one of only five players to be world champion in Test, ODI and T20 cricket, completing the sport’s triple crown in England last year.
The left-hander will continue in the Twenty20 franchise leagues and should return to the Big Bash League next summer with Sydney Thunder.
