As veteran opener David Warner prepares for his last Test next week, former Australian men’s team head coach Justin Langer remarked that only a few athletes get the opportunity to retire on their own terms. Langer expressed his desire for a fairy-tale ending for every retiring cricketer.
In June, Warner revealed his plan to conclude his Test career in the SCG Test against Pakistan in January 2024. Having been a steady presence in the Test side since his debut in 2011, the left-handed batsman will retire with a Test tally of over 8000 runs and an average exceeding 45.
In a conversation with cricket.com.au, Langer reflected on his own retirement in 2007, recognizing the challenges of letting go. Nevertheless, he expressed his wish for Warner to either score a century in his last Test or for Australia to secure a victory.
“It’s so hard to let go. I’d had a career with lots of ups and downs that finished with a fairytale. I’m sure that’s what everyone would like to see for Davey as well, or anyone who retires frankly, but it doesn’t happen to many people.”
“So if Davey can go out with a hundred or even a (three-nil) series win against Pakistan, that would be a nice way for him to finish. Very, very, very few sportspeople get to go out with a fairytale finish.”
The 105-Test veteran noted that players often resent not finishing well: “A lot of sports people and coaches always have a bit of a chip on their shoulder because very, very few get to go out on their own terms. You’re either dropped, or you get injured, or you’re sacked so there’s always a bit of resentment.”
Warner kicked off the Test series with a score of 164 against Pakistan in the first innings at Optus Stadium in Perth, but encountered a duck in the second. In the Boxing Day Test at MCG, he managed a scrappy 38 in the first innings and fell for a single-digit score in the second.
“After the Johannesburg Test, I believed my cricket career was likely over”- Justin Langer
Langer remembered how a bouncer from Makhaya Ntini in the Johannesburg Test of 2006 expedited his decision to retire. Describing the resulting concussion as a challenging period that left him in a difficult mental state, the former player continued:
“I thought after the Johannesburg Test, I was probably finished, when I got that concussion. I remember my friend (Neil) Noddy Holder, who helped me a lot with my batting, when I got back from Johannesburg he was like the boxing trainer throwing in the towel.”
“He said to me ‘it’s time to retire mate. I can’t keep seeing you get hit and hurt like this’. When you get hit like I did in that Test match, it’s scary, and from them on, it was no fun facing fast bowling. I don’t think there was a ball I faced after that where it wasn’t in the back of my mind.”
Langer concluded his international cricket career following the 2006-07 Ashes series held in Australia.
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