- Dec 2, 2024
- Aug 27, 2023
Australia beat Pakistan by 8 wickets in the 3rd Test of the 3-match series to complete a whitewash and give David Warner the perfect send-off from the longest format of the game. Warner played a role in the victory as he scored a terrific 57 off just 75 deliveries to ensure that the 130-run chase was completed quickly.
The Sydney Cricket Ground reverberated with a bittersweet mix of applause and farewells as Warner, ‘The Bull’ of Australian cricket, walked off the hallowed turf for the final time in Test whites. His innings, a testament to his inimitable style, was a masterpiece painted in strokes of audacious flair and trademark grit. He thoroughly entertained the crowd as he has done ever since he first played for Australia. Unfortunately for Warner, he was dismissed in the penultimate over of the game.
Speaking to the official broadcaster after the game, Warner acknowledged that the last year or so leading to his last game has been sensational with Australia winning a couple of big titles. “It’s pretty much a dream come true. You win 3-0 and cap off what’s been a great 18 months to 2 years for the Australian cricket team. World Test Championship win, Ashes series draw and then the World Cup,” he said.
He said that he would love to be remembered as someone who played fresh and exciting cricket. he also expressed hope that young kids would take inspiration from his career and play in a similar way. “Exciting, entertaining and I hope I put a smile on everyone’s face with the way I played. Hopefully, the young kids out there can follow in my footsteps, from white ball cricket to Test cricket, it’s the pinnacle of our sport. So keep working hard and play the red ball game which is entertaining as well,” he said in what was also an emotional speech.
As a mark of respect, Pakistan’s skipper Shan Masood presented Warner with a signed jersey on behalf of the whole team. The entire crowd was also allowed on the ground to see Warner from close quarters. There is no doubt that that Warner has left a huge legacy on the game and fans will hope that he continues to play T20Is for a reasonable period of time.
Here’s how ‘X’ reacted to Warner’s end:
wat an emotional moment warner pic.twitter.com/Pu6XW7Djyp
— Messi Fan (@George_leo453) January 6, 2024
Saddest picture on internet today
— Omar. (@OmarBalochh) January 6, 2024
26 test hundreds, take a bow
— vaibhav sharma (@SharmaBits) January 6, 2024
What a stellar career, proved the world that he is an all format player!
— Vignesh (@visumurugan) January 6, 2024
Thank you David for beautiful memories ❤️
— Pankaj (@Pankaj41627) January 6, 2024
He serve Australian cricket very well….👏👏
— Hriday Singh (@hridaysingh16) January 6, 2024
He achieved everything ♥️
— Amna (@amnamjjad) January 6, 2024
Emotional day for fans too
— SpidY (@spidy805) January 6, 2024