David Warner still has a burning desire to open the batting for Australia, says wife Candice Warner

Australia star batter David Warner has faced a lot of criticism for his poor run of form following his blockbuster performance (scoring a double century) in his 100th Test at the MCG against South Africa on Boxing Day. The left-handed batsman could have called time on his career after the Test series against South Africa. However, despite continuously being criticized, he was ready to take a challenge before concluding his career.

Warner’s wife Candice has revealed her husband’s love for the game of cricket. She said that the cricketer still wishes to open the batting for Australia. Notably, he is expected to end his career after the Ashes later this year.

“David still has a burning desire to open the batting for Australia. There’s still a lot of things that he wants to achieve that he hasn’t achieved,” Candice told Yahoo Sports.

“And clearly one of those would be to perform at best he possibly can in England against the Dukes ball. Whether the selectors and the coach allow him that, I don’t know. But I do know he still has that desire and that hunger to continue. He’d love to go out on his terms but you’re not always afforded that opportunity and David fully realizes that."

He could have easily retired after the Sydney Test: Candice Warner

“He could have easily retired after the Sydney Test this year, but that’s not what he wants. He still wanted to contribute to the team in India and still be there at the Ashes and then we’ll just see.,” she added.

Candice went on to say that Warner is totally committed to playing cricket for Australia despite having the chance to play in various T20 leagues across the world. The 36-year-old played against India in the four-match series of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, but sustained a hairline fracture during the second Test in Delhi and was ruled out of the remainder of the series. He struggled in the opening two Tests against India, managing just 1, 10, and 15 respectively in three innings. However, he recovered from the injury and is now playing in the ongoing third ODI match against Australia.

“There are so many (T20 franchises) around the world, whether it be the IPL, the Dubai League, the BBL, America, South Africa, Pakistan. There’s also his role with Fox Sports which he’s excited about and wants to develop. We’ll just have to wait and see but at this stage, he’s fully committed to playing cricket for Australia,” she said.

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