Cricket-Australia's Warner laughs off early retirement talks (updated)

Oval

26/07/2023 10:53

(Adds Cummins quotes)
       LONDON, July 26 (Reuters) - Australia opener David
Warner has dismissed suggestions he and Steve Smith are going to
quit test cricket after the final Ashes contest against England
beginning at the Oval on Thursday.
    Warner has expressed his desire to play his last test in
Sydney against Pakistan in January next year though he wants to
play on until the 2024 Twenty20 World Cup.
    Australia have already retained the Ashes urn taking a 2-1
lead heading into the final test, and former England captain
Michael Vaughan is among those who believe the duo could exit
after the match at the Oval.
    Warner, talking to reporters on the eve of the match, called
it a "joke".
    "And Smithy (is retiring) too apparently. So obviously it's
a joke," Warner said.
    "I won't take that too seriously ... I don't have an
announcement."
    A fixture at the top of the Australian order since his debut
in 2011, Warner has managed 201 runs in the ongoing Ashes series
averaging 25.12 with a top score of 66.
    "I've probably left a few out there but in saying that, I've
played a lot better than what I did last time," Warner said.
    "I feel like I'm in a good space, contributed well, and as a
batting unit we're all about partnerships, and I think the
partnerships that we've had in key moments of this series have
actually worked very well for us as a team."
    Warner knows he is near the end of his test career and the
36-year-old backed Matt Renshaw to succeed him and dominate both
test and one-day formats like Australia great Matthew Hayden did
in his playing days.
    Australia's captain Pat Cummins also dismissed the
"completely made up" suggestion that Warner and Smith would walk
away at the Oval and said they were focused on the task at hand.
        "It's a big week," the fast bowler said.
  
        "If we win this one and you look back, it's been an
incredible tour over."
  
        "It's already a fantastic tour. But to go home winning
the urn will be phenomenal.
  
        "It's a final thing to tick off the list of titles to
win for a few of the guys. You never know if you'll get another
chance to do it."
  

 (Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty in New Delhi; editing by
Stephen Coates and Toby Davis)
 ((amlan.chakraborty@thomsonreuters.com; Twitter:
@Amlan_Reuters;))