"He wasn't dead serious....": Paine on Warner's possible retirement reversal
Oct 29, 2024
Melbourne [Australia], October 29 : Former Australian captain Tim Paine revealed that former opener David Warner was not serious and barely joking as he offered to come out of retirement from international cricket to help Australia end their hunt for an opener ahead of the highly-anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against India.
Days back, Warner had offered to come back to the international cricket if Australia could not find the right opening partner for Usman Khawaja due to Steve Smith sliding down to number four after mixed performances as an opener and all-rounder Cameron Green being out of the Test summer due to a back injury. But Paine, now speaking to SEN, suggested that Warner was just joking around and even had remarked "I got them good" in a conversation with the former Aussie wicketkeeper.
"He was not dead serious, that is Davey. How do I know? Because I spoke to him, that is how. Is that good enough for the people?," said Paine to SEN.
"He said, 'I got them good, haha'. Of course, that's Davey's thing. People say, 'You're not serious', I am dead serious, but he is not (about returning to cricket)," he concluded.
Warner retired from international cricket after Australia's Super Eight exit in the ICC T20 World Cup tournament this year in West Indies and USA.
In 112 Tests for Australia, Warner scored 8,786 runs at an average of 44.59, with 26 centuries and 37 fifties in 205 innings. His best score is 335*. He is the fifth-highest run-getter for Australia in Tests.
Playing 161 ODIs, Warner scored 6,932 runs at an average of 45.30 and a strike rate of above 97, making 22 centuries and 33 fifties in 159 innings. His best score is 179. He is the sixth-highest run-getter in ODIs for Australia.
Warner is Australia's highest run-getter in T20Is, scoring 3,277 runs in 110 matches at an average of 33.43 and a strike rate of 142.47. He scored a century and 28 fifties, with the best score of 100*.
With 18,995 runs in 383 games, 49 centuries, 98 fifties, two ICC Cricket World Cup titles, one ICC T20 World Cup and ICC World Test Championship title each, Warner retired this year as Australia's second-highest run-getter and one of the greatest all-format openers of all time.
Warner is a part of the teams which won the 2015 and 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup, the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup and the ICC World Test Championship 2023, making him a multi-time world champion.
Coming to the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the first Test will take place at Perth from November 22 onwards.
