People may have been thinking that this was his last double ton and he will bid adieu after this memorable performance at the MCG. Honestly, it would have been a super way to leave the field having a double ton on your back and being part of an invincible team.
But David Warner, who just smashed a double-century in his 100th Test match, has promised he won’t leave the Test field until he receives a “touch on the shoulder” from selectors. Warner responded to his detractors with what is likely among his greatest career innings after entering the game under pressure to keep his job for the long haul.
Warner, who has committed to playing for Australia in the Cricket World Cup in India next year, will be a prominent presence in Australian cricket regardless of his near Test status. However, when asked if this would be his final Boxing Day Test after Australia’s strong innings and 182 run victory against South Africa, Warner responded, “You never know.”
Warner, 36, said he and many media members had been talking about his career before to the match as he was removed on the first ball he faced on day three after retiring injured on 200 runs on day two. The seasoned opener declared that the timed double-century was without a doubt among his greatest work.
Warner was under a lot of pressure going into the last Test of the year after only averaging 20.61 in his first 10 matches of 2022. Warner’s red-ball performance had sharply declined, and since the third Test against Pakistan in Lahore in March, he had not reached 50.
“I’ve obviously committed to playing next year’s World Cup. If I’m still feeling as fit as I can then I’ll keep going for as long as I can,” he said. “If I get that tap on the shoulder, then I’m going to have to go.”
“I was going through that (his best knocks) the other day with a couple of the journos and that definitely is up there now,” Warner said. “To go out there, a lot of pressure, I don’t generally feel the pressure, I don’t get nervous.
“But walking out here and telling my friends, ‘I’m going out to play the way I want to, looking to score and have intent’, and to deliver that in a Boxing Day Test which is the pinnacle as a kid … to go out and execute that emphatically was awesome.”
“When your back’s against the wall, you can only look to move forward, that’s how I’ve always been,” he said. “It was emotional, it was hard out there, it was draining.
“The build-up, the the articles … but to come out here and just back myself and look to score, have that intent, which was probably missing from the last 12 months. It was a magical moment and so proud to do it in front of my family and friends.”
“I don’t see any reason why he can’t continue playing. Fingers crossed he can keep playing well, and he can play for as long as he likes, I’m assuming.”