Veteran Australia opener David Warner has been ruled out of the final T20I of the three-match series against New Zealand due to groin soreness. Warner was not included in the playing XI in Australia's 72-run win over New Zealand at Eden Park in Auckland on Friday.
David Warner played his last T20I bilateral tour for Australia in the first match of the series against Kiwis in Wellington, where he scored 32 off 20 balls at a strike rate of 160 in the visitors' 216-run chase. The 37-year-old played his farewell T20I series on Australian soil against West Indies this month.
Warner will return home from New Zealand and require a brief recovery period in order to be fit in time for the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), where he will play for Delhi Capitals. With veteran Australian opener being ruled out of the final T20I against New Zealand, Australia is expected to go with the opening combination of Steve Smith and Travis Head.
Australia have an unassailable 2-0 lead against New Zealand and two sides will play the dead-rubber at Eden Park in Auckland on Sunday, February 25.
Warner to retire from international cricket after T20 World Cup
The T20 World Cup 2024 will be David Warner's last appearance in international cricket. The mega showpiece event will take place in the USA and West Indies, starting on June 1.
Warner already pulled his curtains down on his illustrious ODI and Test career after playing his final innings in whites in the third Test against Pakistan at his home ground in Sydney. The southpaw couldn't have asked a better end to his Test career rather than whitewashing Pakistan in the three-match series.
David Warner has been batting mainstay for Australia across all formats over a decade. During his 70-run knock against West Indies in the first T20I, Warner completed 3000 runs in the format, becoming the second Australian player after former captain Aaron Finch to do so.
In the T20I career, David Warner has amassed 3099, including a century and 26 fifties, at an average of 33.68 in 103 matches.
