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Australian opener David Warner has been ruled out of the final T20I against New Zealand due to groin soreness. The veteran batter was not included in the playing XI for the second T20I of the series, which Cricket Australia (CA) maintains is not related to the injury that he sustained.
The ongoing series against New Zealand marked Warner's final bilateral assignment with the Australian national team, having already announced his retirement from Test and ODI formats. The injury is not expected to impact his participation in the upcoming 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) with the Delhi Capitals (DC).
According to a statement by Cricket Australia on Saturday, February 24, Warner will require a brief recovery period. The injury also forced him to miss the proceedings from the Australian dugout as he could not fulfill his duties as the 12th man of the side.
"Warner will require a brief recovery period which is not expected to affect his availability for the upcoming Indian Premier League leading into to the ICC Men's T20 World Cup," a CA statement said.
The Aussies are also slated to play a two-match Test series against the Kiwis as part of the World Test Championship (WTC) following the T20I series. However, Warner was not in the scheme of things for that as he had already retired from the longest format.
Warner had scored 32 runs in the final bilateral match of his career
Being part of the first-choice opening pair with Travis Head, David Warner had scored a quickfire 32 in Australia's last-ball thrilling win in the series opener in Wellington.
Warner was booed by the crowd at the Sky Stadium, leading to the southpaw responding with a flying kiss gesture while walking back to the pavilion after being dismissed.
Warner's absence gives Steve Smith perhaps a final chance to make his case as a backup opening candidate at the least ahead of the 2024 T20 World Cup. The ace batter had scored only 11 runs off seven deliveries in Australia's 72-run win in the second T20I in Auckland.
Australia have already established an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series, giving skipper Mitchell Marsh the liberty to experiment with some new combinations with the options available on the bench, which include the likes of Spencer Johnson and Nathan Ellis.
Australia updated T20 squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Pat Cummins, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Short, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, Adam Zampa.
