Australian Star Cricketer David Warner Is Headed For A Sad Ending To His Test Career

Heading into the Test series against South Africa, on the back of subpar performances against a tame West Indies attack, Australia opener David Warner faced a difficult dilemma.

The 36-year-old surely pondered whether to call time on his Test career on his own terms or keep playing into 2023 with difficult tours ahead in India and England – countries were Warner has performed poorly at during his legendary career.

A feud with Cricket Australia, stemming from the 2018 cheating scandal he was suspended for, seemed to embolden Warner who did not retire. It’s probably too bad because he could have had an almost perfect send-off during what turned out to be a one-sided series against a very disappointing South Africa.

In his 100th Test, Warner smashed a remarkable century during the iconic Boxing Day Test at the MCG before the series finale was staged on his home ground in Sydney.

Perhaps he should have taken heed of a decade earlier when Mike Hussey, affectionately known as ‘Mr Cricket’ due to his devotion of the sport, faced a similar quandary.

He wisely departed during a lopsided triumph against Sri Lanka to escape Australia’s subsequent horrors of India and England, where they lost seven of nine Tests in a particularly low ebb.

After Warner’s dire first Test, where his struggles were the low point in a nightmare performance from the tourists, the axe is hovering over him. Essentially only his standing and experience is seemingly keeping him in the side, which seems secure for at least the pivotal second Test starting on Friday with the Border-Gavaskar Trophy on the line.

“I’m sure Davey will be there,” Australia captain Pat Cummins said on Thursday. “You saw (last) year at the Boxing Day Test when he puts pressure back on the opposition, he’s pretty hard to bowl to.

“You don’t get as many good balls, so he knows that. I’m sure that’d be part of his plan. He has been batting really well here. Even in the lead-up, I thought he was fantastic.”

Australia may have better options than a struggling Warner at the top of the order, a position vitally important given in India it can often been easier to face the new ball from the quicks before potent spin is introduced.

Travis Head was brutally left out of the series-opener due to Australia’s horses for courses philosophy. He had a remarkable home summer on favorable pitches for him where Head continually unleashed cavalier batting to become a strike weapon at No.6.

His struggles against spin in South Asia saw him contentiously relegated for the series-opener, so the selection wasn’t without reasoning. But, in what feels like an obvious horses for courses selection, Head seems like a logical replacement for Warner, where he could unleash his aggressive game to rattle India’s new ball bowlers.

“He’s absolutely part of the conversations for this Test, just like the first Test so he couldn’t be doing any more. He’s been fantastic,” Cummins said of the 29-year-old Head.

But it appears that type of move will take place with Australia’s hierarchy set to back Warner, at least for another match.

It’s a dangerous thing to write off Warner, who defied cricket convention when he emerged onto the scene from the T20 format and impressively evolved into one of Australia’s greatest ever openers.

But it feels like he summoned his last batting resurrection during the Boxing Day Test seven weeks ago. If he can’t do it again in Delhi then Warner’s Test career might be headed for a sad ending.