Australia: Australian opener David Warner has played the final of his 112 Test matches, leading Australia to victory against Pakistan in Sydney. The player hit 57 runs in his farewell test match.
The governing body, Cricket Australia, suspended him from international competition for a year in 2018 due to his involvement, along with teammates Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft, in the ball-tampering incident known as “Sandpapergate” in South Africa. Warner lost his position as vice-captain of the Test team and was permanently barred from holding leadership positions.
Warner’s successes and problems have consistently made headlines. When he made his debut for his country in the Sheffield Shield, the national state-based league, in 2009, he became the first person to represent his nation without participating in a single game. After punching England’s Joe Root during a brawl at a Birmingham bar, he received punishment four years later.
His career has flourished across three different game formats because of his potent batting style, which has been compared to that of a baseball slugger. Though Warner is bidding farewell to Test cricket and one-day internationals, his involvement in the ball-tampering scandal endures. Warner intends to play in international T20 competitions going forward.
When his suspension was lifted, the 37-year-old was simply too good to ignore; at his best, his fielding was faultless, his batting was explosive, and his slip-catching was unwavering.
Although Cameron Bancroft, another Sandpaper Three member who has been given a second chance, has been playing well, he does not have a clear successor.
With Matthew Hayden’s 380 against Zimbabwe in 2003, he holds the record for the second-best Test score ever by an Australian, at 335 not out.
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