David Warner announces retirement from ODI cricket in surprise move before final Test

David Warner has announced he's retiring from one-day international cricket ahead of the final Test match of his career. Warner will farewell the Test arena after the third match against Pakistan at the SCG starting on Wednesday, but the 37-year-old revealed on Monday that he's also quitting the ODI format.

While his decision to walk away from Test cricket has always been on the cards, the announcement that his ODI career is also over came completely out of the blue. The veteran opener said he was "comfortable" the time was right to conclude his ODI career after Australia's triumph at the World Cup in India late last year.

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With his family in attendance at a press conference on Monday, Warner said his decision would create opportunities to play more franchise cricket overseas. However he has kept the door ajar to keep playing for Australia at T20 level, and isn't ruling out a comeback if Australia needs an opener for the ICC Champions Trophy in 2025.

"I'm definitely retiring from one-day cricket as well," he said. "It's something I had said through the World Cup, get through that, and winning it in India is a massive achievement.

"I make that decision today to retire from those forms, which does allow me time to go and play some other leagues around the world and sort of get the one-day team moving forward a bit. I know the Champions Trophy is coming up... if I'm playing decent cricket in two years' time and if they need someone, I'll be available."

David Warner comments that foreshadowed ODI retirement

In November, Warner revealed that he wouldn't accept a new contract from Cricket Australia in a telling move that foreshadowed his decision about ODIs. "I won't be taking a contract, definitely not," he said. "How the system works in Australia is that if you play five (T20) games or ODIs, or three Tests, you get upgraded and then you're legally bound by contracting system with sponsors and stuff.

"That's something that becomes a bit of a pain in the backside, especially at my stage of my career. So I don't want to be signed to that agreement and that's something I have to think about moving forward, because if you're going to get a low contract, it's going to cost you a lot in the long run with sponsorships.

"It's probably pointless me taking that contract given that I'm not going to be playing Test cricket … but you don't want to disturb what's happening as well. Twenty-year-olds now are going to have to make the decision of whether they're going to go and play international cricket or franchise cricket. Fortunately enough, I've had a very good, successful international career and I'm at the back end where I'm able to choose that."

David Warner keen to spend more time with family

Warner said he'd now be able to spend more time with wife Candice and their three daughters. "I'll have to give myself a little bit of time off after summer to actually think about all of that first," he said.

"My goal is still to set my sights on playing the Twenty20 World Cup in the Caribbean first (in June), and I think from there I'll probably decide what I'm going to do with white-ball cricket. I'm still feeling fit. I'm very comfortable with what I'm doing. So I've got to sit down and look at what there is, and what I can play."

with AAP

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