Warner has no plans to retire in Sydney, says manager

David Warner’s manager says the struggling batter does not have plans to retire in Sydney, adding that Australian selectors must consider the Test great’s full resume before deciding whether his time is up.

James Erskine, the agent who has helped Warner negotiate the ball-tampering scandal and its fallout, said heavy-duty tours of India and England in 2023 are still firmly on the agenda.

However, all parties understand that significant runs are needed when Warner becomes the 14th Australian to 100 Tests come Boxing Day, otherwise the selectors – rather than Warner – may have no choice but to act, most likely when this series is done.

In need of runs: Australian opener David Warner is fighting to retain his spot in the Test side ahead of a heavy-duty 2023.Credit:AP

Warner has a top score of 48 this summer through three Tests – two against the West Indies and one against South Africa. The South Africans dismissed him for a golden duck and three in Brisbane. Kagiso Rabada’s brute of a ball that rocked Warner in the first innings at the Gabba would have dismissed many a batsman, but the aggressive opener has made a career of cleverly fending off deliveries aimed at tucking him up around the rib cage or neck.

However, he is averaging less than 21 in 10 Tests this year, and has not made a century in almost three years, including reaching 50 just twice in his past 21 innings. That may soon weigh heavily on the selectors’ minds despite selection chairman George Bailey declaring this week: “I personally think there’s runs around the corner for him”.

At 36, Warner is in the twilight of his esteemed Test career, in which he has garnered almost 8000 runs at 45.52 with 24 tons, and there is speculation the third and final Test against the Proteas, on his beloved SCG, could be his last. But Erskine said there were no plans – yet – to end glittering Test career.

“No, it won’t be his last Test, I don’t think. It’s news to me if that’s the case,” Erskine said.

“We’ll just see what happens. The big thing from Davey’s point of view is that he has three young children. If your basic situation is you have got to be away for nine months, or eight months of the year, it is brutal. That will be the decision, I think, depending on how he ends up.

“He has lots of other interests other than cricket – but there has been no talk about that [retirement].”

David Warner will celebrate his 100th Test, against South Africa on Boxing Day, but he needs to find a way to combat the Proteas’ imposing pace attack.Credit:Getty

Erskine said the “current plan” was for Warner to be on the plane to India in February and to England mid-year, two countries where he has yet to taste series victories or score centuries.

“He has had a couple of brutal balls. At the end of the day, everyone goes through these quiet spells. You have got to take his career across the board,” Erskine said.

“If you talk to all the great players out there, they say he is a great player. We’ll just have to see if he bounces back in Melbourne.”

Erskine said he did not think Warner had been distracted by the headlines over his recent decision to pull out of an independent hearing that could have ended his lifetime ban from a leadership role.

Warner cited the panel’s decision to conduct a public hearing rather than his – and Cricket Australia’s – preference for it to be held in private as the reason for the decision. Erskine then took to the airwaves, taking aim at Cricket Australia over the botched process.

“He is a pretty tough nut, old David. I don’t think that necessarily worries him,” Erskine said.

“We are going to meet at some stage to have a glass of beer or a glass of wine. Hopefully, I will get a better handle on it [Warner’s future]. It was a disappointing Test for him [in Brisbane], he got one brutal ball, so it’s just one of those things.

“The other thing is, who would you really replace him with? You can’t micromanage it and go from one Test match and a terrible pitch … it was exciting cricket to watch on television, but it was a disaster for Cricket Australia and the game.”

Victorian opener Marcus Harris is a reserve batsman in the Test squad but has failed to make the most of his opportunities, averaging 25 in 14 matches. He would be Warner’s likely replacement, while Matt Renshaw, who played the last of his 11 Tests in 2018, also has claims.

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