LONDON: Under-pressure Australia batsman David Warner said on Saturday he wanted to finish his Test career next year with a farewell match in his hometown of Sydney.

Warner was speaking in Beckenham, near London, where Australia are preparing ahead of next week’s World Test Championship final against India, when he unveiled his plan to bow out of Test cricket against Pakistan at the Sydney Cricket Ground in January.

Warner, 36, added he still hoped to keep playing white-ball cricket for Australia until the 2024 T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the US.

“You’ve got to score runs. I’ve always said the 2024 World Cup would probably be my final game,” Warner told reporters.

“I probably owe it to myself and my family -- if I can score runs here and continue to play back in Australia...If I can get through this [WTC final and subsequent five-Test Ashes campaign in England] and make the Pakistan series I will definitely finish up then.”

Warner added he had suffered no major damage after being stuck in the practice nets on the same left elbow he fractured during Australia’s tour of India earlier this year, an injury that meant he missed the final Two Tests.

He underwent treatment by a physiotherapist on Thursday but expects to be fit for Wednesday’s start of the WTC final at the Oval.

“It was sore, it got me right on the same point but from a different angle,” said Warner.

“It went numb and I had to get it strapped, but it’s fine now — a little bit sore, but lucky it didn’t hit me on top.”

Warner has been a mainstay of the Australia team since making his debut against New Zealand in 2011.

But the left-handed opener approaches the WTC final and ensuing Ashes with one century in his past 32 innings and a mediocre record in England.

During the 2-2 drawn Ashes series in England, he averaged under 10 and seven times fell victim to paceman Stuart Broad.

Published in Dawn, June 4th, 2023