David Warner and Candice. (Source – Twitter/X)
David Warner retired from Tests and ODIs in January this year. He subsequently played his last international game on June 24, 2024, in a T20 World Cup 2024 match against India. In his retirement post, he wished to come back to the national side if the team needed his services for the Champions Trophy 2025. The statement kept the door open from Warner’s side with no official reaction from Cricket Australia.
India will tour to Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with the first Test starting on November 22. Ahead of the most sought-after clash, Warner once again reiterated his willingness to join the team.
“I’m always available, (the Cricket Australia selectors) just got to pick up the phone,” Warner had told News Corp.
While Australia batter, Marnus Labuschagne quipped he is skeptical of the former Australia opener’s seriousness behind his statement, Warner’s wife, Candice Warner has ruled out the possibility.
“He’s very passionate about playing for Australia and I think if George Bailey, the selector, or Andrew McDonald, the coach, picked up the phone and said ‘we need you’, he would jump at it. (But) It’s definitely not going to happen,” said Candice.
“I think if he genuinely didn’t think he was capable of doing it, he wouldn’t have said that but that’s not any disrespect to any of the openers or people (in the fray for selection). If he was to have gone down that path to play again, he would have had to have done it just like everyone else play Sheffield Shield and everything like that. But it’s not happening. End of discussion,” she added.
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This will be the first time Border-Gavaskar Trophy will be played as a five-match series contrary to the four-match affair held previously. India will take on the hosts in the first Test in Perth followed by the second game in Adelaide. The teams will then travel to Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney for the third, fourth, and fifth Test respectively.