David Warner blasts 'sickening' criticism ahead of Aussie World Cup campaign
The Aussie opener has addressed the criticism he has faced for years.
David Warner has taken a dig at his critics over his upcoming retirement after Australian coach Andrew McDonald delivered an ominous warning to rivals at this year's One Day International World Cup. Warner is set to retire after Australia's summer of cricket and will feature for his national side once again at this year's World Cup.
Australia play host's India in their opening match this weekend and Mitchell Marsh and Warner are set to open the batting for the visitors due to the absence of Travis Head. And Warner will be looking to finish his World Cup career on a high.
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The opener has been in strong form in white ball cricket this year having scored 390 runs at an average of 43.33 across nine games. Warner feels good heading into the opening match and has continued to deflect criticism over his form and retirement.
And the 36-year-old has hit back at the 'sickening' criticism he has received in recent years over calls for him to retire.
"I just can't wait to finish and then they'll have to find someone else's name to use as clickbait," he told Fox Sports in an interview. "It's incredible. To be honest – if I'm being brutally honest, it's actually been sickening.
"And that's why I always put it back to the team. It's about the team. It's not about me and what I'm doing. For me, it's about going out there and trying to put my best foot forward and playing to the best of my ability to put the team in a good position."
Coach Andrew McDonald doubled down on Warners belief and said the opener never lost the ability to score fast or score big. " I don't think it (Warner's form) ever left," he said.
"What we're seeing at the moment is a guy that's really engaged around the challenge of winning a World Cup. If you'd asked me about two weeks ago I'd have been worried, but now it seems to have come together nicely."
Meanwhile, Australian team will head into the World Cup without a major front of shirt sponsor, in what poses a bizarre look on the international stage. The Aussies have played their warm-up games and conducted pre-tournament media commitments with their chests noticeably bare of a sponsor.
The Australian women's team have Commonwealth Bank as their front of shirt sponsor, and the men's team had Qantas during their recent ODI tours of South Africa and India. But the deal with Qantas evidently doesn't extend to the World Cup, meaning there's a glaring hole on the Aussie uniform.
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