Warner's retirement announcement.

[Pies4shaw]

Well done to Dave Warner - he finished up Australia's leading run-scorer in the victorious Australian team at the 2023 tournament, with 535 at an average of 48.63. He has now scored 1,527 career ODI World Cup runs in just 29 matches, at a career average of 56.44.

[K]

Mitch Johnson:

“As we prepare for David Warner’s farewell series, can somebody please tell me why?

“Why a struggling Test opener gets to nominate his own retirement date. And why a player at the centre of one of the biggest scandals in Australian cricket history warrants a hero’s send-off?

“Warner certainly isn’t Australia’s Test captain and never deserved to be for that matter. In fact, he ends his career under a lifetime leadership ban.

“Yes, he has a decent overall record and some say is one of our greatest opening bats. But his past three years in Test cricket have been ordinary, with a batting average closer to what a tail-ender would be happy with.
...

“The handling of Warner in recent years, who played with Bailey in all three forms, raises the question of whether Bailey was simply too quickly out of playing and into the job and too close to some of the players.”

(The West Australian)

[Pies4shaw]

https://wwos.nine.com.au/cricket/news-2023-ed-cowan-reaction-supports-mitchell-johnson-criticism-of-david-warner/daae2d34-83aa-46cc-8a1a-91592c44fbc9

[K]

Mitch Johnson:

"I think my opinion in this column a couple of weeks ago is still valid.
...

Another point made was that a soft summer like this, with Australia expected to comfortably beat Pakistan and the West Indies, was the perfect time to look at blooding some new players into an ageing team. ...

That's going to be much harder across the next two summer when India and England visit...
...

On day one Warner rode his luck early on --- and it could have gone either way...

He did what he was paid to do in the first innings before Saturday's duck in the second innings."

(Perth's Sunday Times & The West Australian)

[Pies4shaw]

Time for Johnson to admit he has no opinion of any value on this topic and STFU. Here’s Ian Chappell’s view: https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/david-warner-s-value-to-australia-is-unquestionable-1413071

[K]

Ed Cowan (on The Grandstand Cricket Podcast after MJ's first column):

“Mitch Johnson is saying what 90 per cent of people in the pub have been thinking. What I didn’t love – I feel like he would have made a more pertinent argument – was the tone. There was a sense of anger or injustice to it. But the actual points around selection, statistically David Warner probably shouldn’t be in the best XI, I think most people agree with.”
...

“I still think personally the best person for the job is either Marnus or Travis Head...

“With Marnus opening the batting, he’s walking out at one for none anyway. David Warner has been a walking wicket for two years now. At least he knows when he’s going to bat, he can prepare and go out and bat. It’s not a big leap to go from batting at three to opening the batting.”

[Pies4shaw]

Warner is in the best 11 because there is no opener pressing a halfway decent case. When you make 164 to set up victory on a Perth wicket that most reasonably sensible commentators thought was "treacherous", "dangerous" or similar, you pick yourself, for as long as you want.

[K]

Warner has an ex-player fan! Ian Healy reckons Warner should play on!!

But... Heals said he admired Michael Slater's batting on difficult 2nd-innings wickets. Heals, pay attention! Warner got 1st-innings runs, but a duck in his 2nd innings!!

And, as media said, Oz got by far the best of the conditions. The worst batting conditions were in Pakistan's 2nd innings. That means the 4th day, not the 3rd day when Warner and FTB batted.

[stui magpie]

[K]

Ahead of the SCG Test...
SCG curator says he hopes Warner gets a century. Says Warner's been a big supporter of Oz pitch curators.

Reader says: Please don't prepare a pitch for Warner.


Yup. Doesn't sound good. And, sheesh... Of course a batter would love the flat Oz pitches they've been dishing up.

Wonder if curator's having a dig at Cummins. Cummins says it like it is. The SCG pitch's been shamefully flat. Cummins has made that clear for years, even before becoming captain. e.g. In the WA Covid lockdown season, Pat said he didn't want the SCG getting another Test 'cos it's so unfair to bowlers.

[K]

Goodbye, Davey...

For sure, had his moments. But his overseas record was atrocious.

Away Test averages
v Bangladesh 62.75
v. England 26.74
v. India 21.78
v. NZ 13.00
v. Pakistan 33.80
v. S Africa 63.33
v. Sri Lanka 25.22
v. WI 26.90

All away Tests:
2012-2023, 51 matches, 3065 runs, ave. 31.59.

[K]

SEN: Will Warner go down as a great?

John Buchanan:

“I don’t think so.

“I think he’s certainly performed exceptionally well throughout this career...

“On performance base, he’s right up there. But greats of the game, in my opinion, are people that really do and have done something exceptional that others just can’t match, so therefore you automatically go to the Bradmans, McGraths, Warnes, they’re the greats in my opinion.

“Others come close, but are just not in that category and I don’t see Warner in that category.”


Yeah, well just being average overseas, not exceptional, would be a good start. Warner's overseas record was atrocious.

[K]

A journo wrote Warner got POTM in all of his 100th Slogathon, 100th ODI and 100th Test.

Pity Tests #70-99 were mostly crap!
And lucky that #100 was at home. His Test record overseas is atrocious.

[Pies4shaw]

Needs to come out of retirement to open in Tests, as of first thing tomorrow morning.

[K]

Flat-Track Bully Steve Smith has managed to make Warner look good!

I reckon part of the reason FTB Smith wanted to open was he thought, "If Warner can do it, so can I."

But there are two problems with that:

1) Warner could not do it overseas... Warner's Test average overseas was 31.59.

(Of course, Warner can now say, that's much better than FTB's pathetic average opening overseas of 12.75!!!)

2) Warner at least could score quickly. That also gave him the option of trying to slog his way out of trouble. Media noted that he never tried that against Broad. But he could have. Maybe he should have...

FTB can't score quickly. He has no power. He doesn't have shots around the ground. His one run-scoring shot is the swipe across the line of the ball to legside. So he loses out to Warner there.