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Australian opener David Warner wants to continue playing white-ball cricket for Australia, but will not sign a central contract if offered one, the 37-year-old said in a media interaction in Kolkata ahead of their semi-final clash at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. on Thursday, November 16.
He announced his desire to retire from Tests in the upcoming January after the home series against Pakistan. While Warner prepares for his third World Cup semifinal against South Africa, he wants to represent Australia in limited-overs cricket till the ICC T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies in 2024 as well as the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy in Pakistan.
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Citing the examples of former Australia all-rounder Brad Hogg, West Indies' Chris Gayle and Pakistan's Shoaib Malik, Warner said, "Everyone wants to set themselves a realistic goal. My goal is still to set my sights on playing the Twenty20 World Cup in the Caribbean first (in June next year), and I think from there I'll probably decide what I'm going to do with white-ball cricket."
"I'm still feeling fit. I'm very comfortable with what I'm doing. So I've got to sit down and look at what there is, and what I can play." Warner, however, made it clear that he won't take up a central contract as it would affect his participation in franchise T20 leagues across the globe and sponsorship opportunities, which is vital at this juncture of his career.
However, Warner will not be accepting a central contract from Cricket Australia, as it could hurt his chances to play in global T20 leagues and sponsorship opportunities crucial at this stage of his career. "I won't be taking a contract, definitely not. How the system works in Australia is that if you play five (T20) games or ODIs, or three Tests, you get upgraded and then you're legally bound by contracting system with sponsors and stuff," he said.
"That's something that becomes a bit of a pain in the backside, especially at my stage of my career. So I don't want to be signed to that agreement and that's something I have to think about moving forward, because if you're going to get a low contract, it's going to cost you a lot in the long run with sponsorships.
"I've got to sit back and have a look at what the schedule is, the (ICC) Future Tours schedule and you've got a Champions Trophy that's coming up as well. So they're potentially on my horizon," the left-handed opener added.
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