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Josh Hazlewood has reiterated that David Warner has retired from international cricket. Warner had previously announced that the 2024 T20 World Cup would mark his final appearance in international matches.
Following Australia’s failure to advance to the semi-finals in this tournament, questions arose regarding Warner’s potential availability for the next T20 World Cup in 2026, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka.
Josh Hazlewood has confirmed David Warner’s retirement from cricket. Despite the Australian squad featuring ten players over 30, Hazlewood indicated that there won’t be major changes in the team’s composition going forward.
The primary alteration expected is the inclusion of Jake Fraser-McGurk to replace Warner. With Warner stepping down, an opening batsman position becomes available, and Fraser-McGurk has demonstrated his capability for the role over the past year, making him a strong candidate.
“They come around pretty quick, the T20 World Cups, every two years. There might be a couple of changes, but a lot of the guys still play in the franchise cricket if they’re not playing for Australia, so they’re available to be picked, Hazlewood said while stating that a lot of current players still play franchise cricket.
“There’s some class players in our 15, and we’ve got a couple on the bench as well. So, you’d think it’d be an actual slow change. I don’t think there’d be anything drastic,” the fast bowler added.
Hazlewood acknowledged David Warner’s significant contributions to Australian cricket, emphasizing that his departure will leave a notable gap in the team. Despite this challenge, Hazlewood expressed confidence that Australia will continue to progress and evolve.
“We’ll definitely miss him around the group, out on the field and off the field. He’s had an amazing all-format career. We’ve had Test cricket and ODI cricket and now T20s. You’ve gotten used to it a bit in New Zealand (not having Warner there),” the 33-year-old quick said.
“It’s always different when you lose a player that’s been there for so long. We’ll move on and push forward,” he added.
David Warner had a solid T20 World Cup 2024, contributing 178 runs across seven matches at an average of 29.66 and a strike rate of 139.06. He played pivotal roles in Australia’s victories over Oman, England, and Bangladesh.
Australia faced challenges throughout the T20 World Cup 2024, culminating in Afghanistan’s win over Bangladesh in the Super 8 stage. Mitchell Marsh and his team performed well in the group stage, winning all their matches and appearing poised for a strong tournament run.
However, losses to Afghanistan and India in the Super 8 stage proved costly, forcing Australia to depend on other match outcomes to secure a spot in the semi-finals. Ultimately, Afghanistan’s thrilling victory over Bangladesh propelled them to their first-ever semi-final appearance in the tournament.
