Hundreds, Hughes, hard lessons: Warner's farewell interview

What was the favourite moment of your career?

"There's a lot, but from a team perspective, I think winning the Ashes is massive. But I remember back to Africa (in 2014) when Ryan Harris took that final wicket in the last couple of overs. I think that one stands out for me because that was a a really hard-fought series. That to me was one of the hardest games I've been a part of. The memory of Ryan Harris (bowling) on one knee was really significant, and that's one that stands out for me."

What was your favourite innings?

"I think the 100 in a session here (against Pakistan in 2017) is probably one for me where you don't go out as an opening batter trying to achieve that, to get the team off to a start like that. But to go out there and score a hundred in a session is massive. Then clearly the 300 in Adelaide (his 335no against Pakistan in 2019) was probably my most patient innings. It was a challenge mentally to get back up the next day and play. I'd never really experienced that before in that many hours at the crease."

Who was the toughest bowler you faced?

"Without doubt it's Dale Steyn. I go back to the WACA (the first Test of the 2016-17 home series against South Africa) when me and Shaun Marsh had to go out for an ugly 45-minute session. Shaun came down to me and said, 'I can't pull him so I don't know how we're going to go about facing him'. He put me on my backside and I think he broke his shoulder as well that game. He's a fierce competitor who swung the ball back into the left-hander, which is similar to Mitchell Starc swinging the ball back into the right-hander at pace. He was always a fiery customer who never gave you a smile and never gave you an inch or a sniff on the field." 

How are your emotions ahead of your final Test?

"I'm feeling great. It's the great(est) decision I've made, I've got to give back to my family. I'm definitely retiring from one-day cricket as well. That was something that I had said through the World Cup – get through that, and winning it in India, I think that's a massive achievement. So I'll make that decision today, to retire from those forms, which does allow me to go and play some other leagues around the world and sort of get the one-day team moving forward a little bit. I know there's a Champions Trophy coming up (in 2025). If I'm playing decent cricket in two years' time and I'm around and they need someone, I'm going to be available."

At what point after your Test debut did you feel like you belonged as a Test cricketer?

"I think I owe that to Greg Chappell, who showed belief and faith in my talent and ability and the way that I play the game. In Zimbabwe (on an Australia A tour in 2011) I've got a memory of him when I was 40 not out at lunchtime and he comes up to me and goes, 'this innings will change your life if you score a hundred'. I went on to get 200 (211) and he told me, 'I told you so'. I look back at that and they're my fondest memories of how I started. I got given the opportunity to open in one-day cricket through Dom Thornely (with NSW) … out of nowhere after that Zimbabwe series, I'm opening the batting for NSW. From there, it's been quite surreal. I wouldn't have ever imagined opening the batting for NSW or anyone when I first started. But to be here after 112 Tests and coming out for the last time, I'm still pinching myself."

Is your legacy that you created a pathway for T20 cricketers to become Test cricketers?

"It's easy for me to sit here and talk about playing for your country at Test level through T20 cricket. Fortunately in my development, I didn't have (various lucrative domestic leagues) there so I didn't have to make those decisions of going off and playing in those. For me, it was always about playing Test cricket for Australia. We're well remunerated as well with the central contracts, and that's the passion that you have growing up – to play red-ball cricket for Australia. Today, with so many different opportunities and a lot more money at stake for younger guys coming through, it's a tough decision to make. It'd be wrong of me to say that I would still be passionate to keep playing for Australia and have those ambitions because that's every kid in Australia's dream. It would be a very difficult decision to make if you're getting $100,000 thrown at you before you take a rookie contract."

How difficult is it going to be for Australia to replace you in both ODI and Test cricket?

"We've got a lot of talent, we've got a lot of depth, we've got a lot of players there that can fit into all three formats right now. There's always change, there's always retirements, there's always failures and people having to come in and of the team. We're in a good position in Australian cricket to have the next generation and the current players not (currently) selected to take over. I think through my career, I've surprised myself to play all three forms as well. It's been very difficult, especially having young children come along as well. It's definitely a tough thing for another person to come in and play three all three forms. It's going to be very difficult. But we've got the right people there to take over any three of those spots."

Do you want to keep playing in the BBL?

"I definitely am keen to pursue playing Big Bash next year. There's going to be conversations behind the scenes to allow me to do that. Obviously I've joined the Fox commentary team next year during the Test series against India, which I'm looking forward to. There's a BBL window that we're able to play, and then quite clearly there has been a lot of talk about the ILT20 which will be starting, I'm pretty sure, after the BBL. So I would like to play that in and around the commentary stuff. I've just got to make sure that I'm, one, playing to the best of my ability and, two, not hindering the team's performances or upsetting the balance of the team."

Was there any doubt that you'd be able to go out on your own terms here at home?

"No, I said quite clearly in England before the World Test Championship (final), there was a lot of talk about me and my form. I wanted to nip it in the bud early. I said my ideal preparation to finish would be Sydney – that's ideal, that's fantastic. But I actually had Lord's pencilled in as my last Test, especially if I didn't go as well as I did in a partnership with 'Uzzie' (Usman Khawaja) at the top of the order. Then from there, it just followed on that we played some good innings together. I didn't have that hundred (in England) that I always wanted but always eluded me in achieving. But as a team and as a whole we did our bit. To get this ending is awesome, but it's not about me, it's about us. We've won the series (against Pakistan) but to win 3-0 and have a whitewash here at the SCG would be a great thing for the team. We can't take away the fact of how well this team has been (playing) in the last 18 months."

How would you like to be remembered as a Test cricketer?

"Someone who has gone out there and just given it his all. I've said this all along. A boy from a housing commission having a dream. I've not always fitted the mould, but I've been authentic and honest. I think that shows on the field in Test cricket, I've played the exact same way. I'm even playing lap shots like I do in T20 cricket. I'm still trying my best to get better, even in this last Test. I'm hungry to score runs. It's no different to any other game. I just want to leave (a legacy) behind that you can go out and play the way you want to play, you can play with freedom, you can play reverse sweeps like Joe Root if you want. You've got the ability to do that and you've got to trust and believe in yourself."

What does it mean to you to go out as Australia's most successful opening batter?

"It means I played a lot of cricket (laughs). A lot of training sessions. But you get those accolades if you play a lot of cricket and I think the most satisfying or pleasing thing for me is I've always been able to stay on the park. I've always trained behind closed doors a lot. That's the way I've always done it. I don't hit a lot often. And then when I do hit often for a long period of time it's more for my mind to take away from what's coming up. When I'm not in form, I tend to go to the golf course, walk four hours and reflect there on how I'm going to go about my business."

Do you have concerns about the future of Test cricket?

"I think the concerns are with the governing bod(ies) to make sure that the scheduling is well in place. I think they're doing that at the moment. Don't think it's on my terms to comment about South Africa's seven debutants (in their Test squad for their upcoming New Zealand tour). But that's just showing at the moment where it could be potentially heading. There's going to be a lot of conversations in the next year about it. For us we need to keep Test cricket alive. It's the pinnacle of the game. We absolutely love it and when you get that taste of it and you're out there five days toiling – I look at that Pakistan series (in 2022) and we played 15 days of hard cricket and it all came down to that last day, that's what Test cricket is all about – hopefully that can keep surviving.

So how do you keep Test cricket alive?

That's why I'm a cricketer and not an admin (laughs).

Is there anything in you didn't achieve in Test cricket that you really wish you had achieved?

"Look you'd like to score a hundred at every venue you play but for me it's going out there and just playing to the best of your ability and putting your team into a good position. Partnership batting is one thing I think is missed in the game of cricket. We do have a lot of self-accolades, but I think in the stats, the partnerships really tell the right story of a lot of cricket games. If you look at Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon (to help Australia win by two wickets at Edgbaston last year), in one-day cricket as well 'Maxi' and 'Cummo' (Glenn Maxwell and Pat Cummins' unbeaten 202-run eighth-wicket stand to beat Afghanistan during the World Cup last year). They're key partnerships and that's how I've seen it. I don't really have any wishes that I could have done anything different because I've given it my best."

You've had 13 different opening partnerships through your career. Does that have an effect on you? And what does it mean to you to finish with your childhood friend, Usman Khawaja, as your opening partner?

"I was saying to Uzzie this morning, in his debut Test I was actually sitting up in one of the boxes (at the SCG) and it was awesome to see. It is a fairytale ending. I don't know too many cricketers who have gone through junior cricket with each other and played at the highest level for a long period of time. Just to see him come back the way he has the last two years has been absolutely amazing. I know his family are really, really proud of him. I'm really, really proud of him as a mate. It brought a tear to my eye when he scored that hundred when he first came back (in the 2021-22 Ashes at the SCG). When you're childhood friends and you get to go out here at the SCG (having been here) as kids, dreaming big, it's a great feeling. I love him."

Have you become more emotional as your final Test has approached?

"It has actually become more emotional. When I looked at Lord's as a potential finish, I didn't really have many emotions because I was content. I might not have been scoring runs, but I still had the desire to play Test cricket. I love the game of cricket, it doesn't matter what format I'm playing. But definitely it's been emotional since Perth, since I've been back in Australia and knowing that I'm playing (my final Test summer). Getting that 160, putting us into a great position, it hit home when people in the streets were coming up and saying, 'well done, we support you, we back you'. It really means a lot. The emotions probably started then. I thank all the supporters and the fans out there, because they're the key shareholders in the game. Without them we don't get to play the game that we love. We don't get to entertain – and we're in the entertainment business. That really, really means a lot to all of us."

How did your teammates react to your decision to retire from ODI cricket?

"It might not just be me (retiring), but no-one (else has) said anything, so I think it just is me. But it was a decision that I was very, very comfortable with. To win in India, from where we were, was absolutely amazing.  The team, not just under the leadership of Patty, but the coach, Andrew McDonald, everything's just so calm and relaxed inside the team. We go out there, we're adults, we back ourselves to train to the best of our ability and then go out there and perform. There's never any added pressure. It's the same (attitude) 'come in and get what you have to done'. When we lost two games in a row in India (in the World Cup), the bond just got stronger with each other. It's not by fluke or by chance that we were able to get to where we were. The heroics of Maxi, the captaincy and the skills and execution of the way that we played against India (in the final) was phenomenal – and not to dismiss the Kolkata semi-final as well."

Why were you considering finishing at Lord's? What was weighing on you at the time?

"The second Test match, going into a five-match series, is probably out ... If you're down 2-0, and you go into that third one, and you lose that, I don't think (retirement is) the right choice to make. It's an easy exit. For me, a second one was if I was failing and we hadn't won, then it would have been an easier decision. I didn't want to put the team or the selectors in a position where they had to think about, 'mate, it's time to push on'. It was more about me just going, 'I'm content with that. I'm happy with it, I've had a great career'. If I could still do my best and bat well with Uzzie and put us into a good position. I think I could do that for the rest of the series."

Did you have doubts about the way you were playing?

"No, I just always think about the team. It's never about me. I've always said that from day one. I'm just authentic to myself, and very honest. You guys have seen how honest I am – sometimes too honest – but that's how I've always been."

Do you hold any bitterness over your suspension for the Cape Town scandal and the way Cricket Australia handled the review into your leadership ban?

"I knew a question like this was going to come up. When I look back at that, it can be handled differently. But I think Nick (Hockley, CA's chief executive) did his ultimate best to put that forward to the board and the decision was made, and I'm happy with that. I've moved forward from that. I've got opportunities to lead in the IPL, to lead in the ILT20. I've enjoyed my leadership roles. But for me, in recent years, I've learned that leadership (isn't about) wearing a captain or vice-captain badges. It's about being true to yourself, setting an example both on and off the field. For me, I think I'm a leader in this team no matter what. You don't need that C or VC next to your name. I know myself and my energy at times can be annoying, and I can be a pest, but I know that inside that changeroom it gets everyone up and about."

You came through in an incredible batch of players from NSW. One of them was Phil Hughes – what impact did his death have on your career?

"For us being here when he fell that day was quite sad and terrible. Still today, it hits us hard. I've always seen him at the other end. All the boys know he's looking down upon us. It's still hard to talk about today because I think he was going to be one of our greatest opening batters ever. He had every shot in the book. His character, his energy and his smile lit up the room. Best mates with everyone, no-one would ever say a bad word about him and I truly, truly believe today, if he was still with us, he'd be in my position or Uzzie's position."

How much does being liked by the Australian public matter to you?

"There's two types of likes and dislikes. There's ones that hides behind the keyboard and there's ones in real life who sit down with you, have a beer and get to know you, they are the real people who actually support you. I've had a few of them, where I've called people out and had a beer with them and they've changed their opinion totally. That goes back probably five, six years ago. But what you see is what you get. I'm very honest, I'm open, always happy to have a beer with anyone that has a disagreement (with me) in public. If you don't like what you see on TV, reach out I'll have a beer with you. That's open to anyone (laughs)."

Your thoughts on who should replace you in the Test side?

"I think a past selector came out and said I'm not allowed an opinion, so I can't comment on that (laughs)."

What did you learn from the Cape Town scandal and how do you reflect on what you learned from it?

"When I left Africa, the first five or six people that came up to me were priests and gave me a card. Then we went on a holiday to Singapore after that and there was a big church convention. I then sat back and spoke to Candice, and said someone is clearly watching down upon us. I just grew strength from there to go back, play grade cricket, get a sense of that cricket community back – the canteen ladies, people who run the drinks out, taking on and off the covers – it was a sense of something I sort of got disconnected with. I think a lot of us do because we are in that bubble but when you go back and see the real people who are really, really working hard, which we did as young kids, that's what I reflect most upon. If I can keep continuing to make sure that people understand where you come from and how you got to where you are, that's going to be very important. That's a lesson that I learned. Then spending time at home with the kids, that was unbelievable. I actually really enjoyed that. I spent a lot of time with my wife. We are sort of disconnected in a way when we travel a lot. Reflecting back on that whole period, my whole career, I've got no regrets because you are going to have a lot of hurdles you are going to have to jump. There's going to be obstacles in the way, but you have to move forward and I've done that with dignity. I've got a lot of passion for the game and it was important from my perspective that I'm giving back, making sure that I gained the respect back but making sure I'm putting Australian cricket first. I want every young kid who wants to play cricket to dream of playing for Australia and that's what was really important for me when I came back."

NB: Some sections of this transcript were edited for clarity

NRMA Insurance Test series v Pakistan

First Test: Australia won by 360 runs

Second Test: Australia won by 79 runs

Third Test: January 3-7, SCG (10.30am AEDT)

Australia squad: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Steve Smith, Mitch Starc, David Warner

Pakistan squad: Shan Masood (c), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Saud Shakeel and Shaheen Shah Afridi