Islamabad : David Warner has laid out his ideal plan for retirement across Australian cricket’s three formats, the opener eyeing a hometown Sydney Test farewell in January. That would follow an exit from one-day cricket at the 50-over World Cup in November, before carrying on in the shortest form until the T20 World Cup in June 2024.
In 2008 Adam Gilchrist, A dropped catch on day one of the final Test against India in 2007-08 was enough to make up Gilchrist’s mind. By the night of day three, he’d broken the world wicketkeeping dismissals record and announced he’d retire at the end of the match.
He played the ODI series afterwards, giving him a mini-farewell of sorts, but in the Test arena there was no fairytale finish. The match laboured to a draw and ‘Gilly’ ended his career on 97 Tests.
In 2009 Matthew Hayden had endured a poor summer in 2008-09 and heard the jungle drums beating. After the completion of the Test series, he announced his retirement effective immediately.
His decision came despite the offer of playing a farewell Twenty20 match for Australia at the Gabba. He declined and instead did a lap of honour.
In 2012 Rickey Ponting had taken the unusual path of staying on as a player after standing down from the captaincy. But after 18 months of highs and lows, and an ugly dismissal against South Africa where he was bowled while sprawled on the pitch, he decided that the next Test would be his last.
He declined a push from Cricket Australia for him to stay on and play a sentimental farewell match in his home state of Tasmania, where he could have broken Steve Waugh’s Australian Test appearances record.
In 2015 Michel Clarke Never known for having a canny read on the public’s reaction to his deeds, Clarke got it right when he announced his retirement after the 2015 Ashes were lost.
Clarke averaged just 16.50 across five matches, with a top score of 38, and there was little fanfare for his exit other than a post-match interview with mate Shane Warne after the fourth test to say that the fifth and final Test of the series would be his last.
In 2015 Mitchell Johnson, It couldn’t get much better than Johnson’s 2013-14 Ashes winning tour de force, so less than two seasons on while running into bowl on a WACA pitch that yielded 1672 runs and broke bowlers’ hearts, Johnson decided enough was enough.
He took two wickets on the final day as a parting gift but true to character, his Test finish avoided the limelight.
David Warner is trying to pull off an unprecedented Test cricket farewell tour. Here is how retirement unfolded for other Australian greats – and why Warner stands alone
