David Warner has announced that he will be ending his career in international cricket following the T20 World Cup. However, he made sure to leave a lasting impression with his last performance for Australia on their home turf.

Warner was the standout player for Australia on Tuesday night as the West Indies won by 37 runs in the third and final T20 match at Optus Stadium in Perth.

The West Indies posted a monster 220-6 following blistering knocks from Andre Russell (71 off 29 balls) and Sherfane Rutherford (67no off 40 balls).

Warner bravely battled a frightening blow to the jaw and managed to score 81 runs off 49 balls, giving Australia a fighting chance for a win in front of a crowd of 17,018 spectators.

However, the dismissal of three players for only three runs, including Aaron Hardie, Warner, and Josh Inglis within a span of 10 deliveries, marked the downfall of Australia’s chances. The home team ended with a score of 183-5.

Australia was unable to achieve a complete victory in the three-game series, resulting in a 2-1 win for the hosts. This outcome occurred before their upcoming tour of New Zealand.

Prior to the game, Warner informed his fellow teammates that it would be his last international match in Australia.

Warner is set to participate in the upcoming T20 series in New Zealand and the T20 World Cup this year before retiring from his successful international career.

“I am fully completed,” he stated. “It is now the younger generation’s turn to step up and display their abilities.”

“We have a great amount of talent among us. Our future looks promising.”

Mitch Marsh, the captain of Australia’s T20 team, praised Warner.

Display the image in full screen mode.

“It has been an incredible career for him,” stated Marsh. “It seems fitting for him to end with such a remarkable performance. He has been a dedicated member of Australian cricket. Sadly, we were unable to secure a victory for him.”

Xavier Bartlett (2-37) proved to be a formidable force in his debut as a paceman, causing an early onslaught that resulted in the West Indies’ downfall at 3-17.

In the ninth over, Russell entered the field as his team was facing a difficult situation with a score of 5-79. However, he teamed up with Rutherford and together they achieved a remarkable 139-run partnership. This was the biggest sixth-wicket partnership in a T20 international and it completely altered the course of the game.

However, it was not until the second to last over, delivered by Adam Zampa, that Russell elevated the damage to a new level. He smashed 28 runs, with four sixes, in that destructive over.

After Tim David missed a diving catch on the boundary, he scored three sixes in a row to end the over.

If that catch had been caught, Zampa’s record would have been 2-43 with three more balls remaining in his spell.

Instead, he ended with a record of 1-65, making it the most costly performance in his 77 T20I matches.

After taking a painful hit to his glove at the start of his innings, Russell ended up scoring seven sixes and four fours.

Mitch Marsh’s brief stint as an opener was cut short when the captain was caught out for 17 runs.

Warner was at 21 runs when he was hit by a high delivery from Russell, which hit the bottom of his helmet grille.

The 37-year-old was examined on the field to assess for possible concussion or injury to his jaw, but was cleared to continue playing.

Warner struck a four on the next delivery and achieved his 50 runs in just 25 balls with a powerful six hit down the field.

However, when Hardie (16 runs off 16 balls) hit Romario Shepherd’s delivery onto his stumps, it caused a decline that Australia was unable to bounce back from.

Warner was caught in the deep, and Inglis was dismissed after Roston Chase (2-19) made a quick catch off his own bowling.

Glenn Maxwell had a slow start, scoring 12 runs off 14 balls. However, Tim David managed to entertain the audience with some impressive late hitting, scoring 41 runs off just 19 balls.

Source: theguardian.com