Obvious thing for me was maybe to pull the pin after his 101th Test: Ricky Ponting on Warner’s Test career

New Delhi, March 2 (IANS) Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting feels that David Warner missed the chance to end his Test career on his own terms after scoring double century against South Africa in Melbourne last year and opined that he should have pulled the pin after Sydney Test, which was his 101st match in the longest format of the game.

Warner registered scores of 1, 10 and 15 in India in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy before being sent home to recover from a fractured elbow. He has passed 50 just twice in his past 20 Test innings and doubts are being cast on his place in the Australian playing XI for Ashes in England.

The seasoned opener struggled in the 2019 series in England, averaging just 9.50 across five Tests with three ducks.

“For him to finish the way he deserves to finish, the obvious thing for me was maybe to pull the pin after Sydney. He got 200 in Melbourne, played his 100th Test, played his 101 Test in Sydney, his home ground and maybe finish there,” Ponting told RSN Cricket.

“The last thing he deserved is to be away on a tour and get into the middle of a series and get dropped and his career is over. That would be an awful way for him to finish. He’s a driven little man, a pretty stubborn little bugger, so we’ll see how he goes,” he added.

After returning to Sydney last week from India, Warner has said that he had ‘no intention’ of retiring. Reacting to it, Ponting said Warner might make it to the World Test Championship final before the Ashes, but that could be the curtains to his Test career.

“I think I’ve heard him talk before about their cycle. This current cycle will finish after the World Test Championship, which is obviously the week before the first Ashes Test and I would think all going well that they want to get David through until the end of that Test match at least, ” the former skipper said.

“It’s up to him though. The only currency you have as a batsman is runs and if you’re not scoring any you leave yourself open.

It’s happened to all of us, it happened to me. When you get to a certain age and it looks like your form is dropping off slightly, then the knives are sharpened and it doesn’t take long,” he added.