Daily Times

As David Warner prepares to exit Test cricket, the veteran opener is likely to opt out of Australia’s white-ball contests in favour of lucrative Twenty20 tournaments.

The 37-year-old will farewell red-ball cricket during next week’s third Benaud-Qadir Test against Pakistan at the SCG. But Warner has no plans to retire from limited-overs cricket after a stunning run of form during Australia’s successful ODI World Cup campaign. However, Australian Cricketers’ Association boss Todd Greenberg has indicated Warner will choose T20 leagues if they coincide with international games, and possibly, the Big Bash League.

The left-hander has already flagged he will not take up a national contract next year to give himself more freedom in his schedule. “There’s no doubt in the next phase of Dave’s life he’s going to be looking to ply his trade where he gets the best return on his investment,’ Greenberg told SEN on Thursday.

“There will be times where he’ll be looking to miss certain games and tours; that’s the sort of flexibility we’ve got to get our heads around. “Some people won’t like that, but that’s the modern world of which we’re living in and we’ve got to embrace it.” Warner hopes to play in next year’s T20 World Cup for Australia but will not take up an offer to be contracted by Cricket Australia again. “It’s probably pointless me taking that contract given that I’m not going to be playing Test cricket,” he said last month.

In a wide-ranging interview, Greenberg sounded the alarm on how he believes Australian cricket is not immune to the wealthy franchise leagues. South Africa will send a severely weakened squad to New Zealand in February for a two-Test series, with the country’s board keeping their contracted players at home to play in the IPL-funded T20 league. “We’re in an era now where all of our best players want to play red-ball cricket, they want to wear a Baggy Green,” Greenberg said.

“We can’t take that for granted though because the next generation of players probably won’t think like that. That challenge is upon us right now.

“The T20 leagues around the world are growing, they’re growing commercially and they have much more private investment than they’ve ever had. “Earning opportunities will increase, which will put more pressure on the system domestically here and will put more pressure on bilateral cricket. “I don’t think we can turn our attention away from that and think it won’t happen here because it will. In my view, it’s a matter of when. “You can’t begrudge the players for finding the best commercial outcome because one, they’ve got a limited lifespan, and two quite often they don’t choose their own demise so you really have to cash in while you can.”