Former Australian great David Warner is ready to play in the Champions Trophy 2025 which is set to be hosted in Pakistan next year between February and March.
Warner, 37, retired from ODI cricket after Australia lifted their record-extending sixth World Cup by beating India in the final in Ahmedabad on November 19, 2023.
After Australia were officially eliminated from the T20 World Cup 2024, the legendary opener announced that he was quitting all formats of international cricket and would focus only on T20 leagues.
However, in a recent Instagram post, the Aussie expressed that he would be “ready” to represent Australia in the Champions Trophy 2025 if he is selected.
"Chapter closed!! It's been an unbelievable experience to play at the highest level for such a long period. Australia was my team. The majority of my career was at the international level. It’s been an honour to be able to do this. 100+ games in all formats is my highlight," Warner wrote on Instagram. "I will continue to play franchise cricket for a while, and I am also open to playing for Australia in the Champions trophy if selected,” Warner posted on Instagram.
Warner is the second-highest run-scorer among Australian ODI openers as he has scored 6,888 runs at an impressive average of 45.31 and a strike rate of 97. He also scored 22 centuries and 33 fifties. He is only behind Adam Gilchrist who scored 9,176 runs at 36.55 and 98, 16 hundreds, 53 fifties).
Meanwhile, in T20Is, Warner scored 3,277 runs in 110 innings with the help of a hundred and 28 fifties at a strike-rate of 142.47.
Australia’s ODI and Test captain, Pat Cummins, responded to Warner’s wish to make one last return to international cricket.
"I think it's probably time to give some others a crack [in ODIs], but knowing that he's going to still be playing cricket, it might be more of a kind of break glass in an emergency option. But, you know, David is going to be scoring runs somewhere in the world, so you never quite know that this is [the end],” Cummins said.
- David Warner
