Australia opener David Warner has dismissed suggestions he and Steve Smith will quit test cricket after the final Ashes contest against England, beginning at the Oval on Thursday night (NZ time).
Warner has expressed his desire to play his last test at Sydney against Pakistan in January, although he wants to play on until the 2024 Twenty20 World Cup.
Australia have already retained the Ashes urn, taking a 2-1 lead heading into the final test, and former England captain Michael Vaughan is among those who believe the duo could exit after the match at the Oval.
Warner calls it a "joke".
"Smithy [is retiring] too apparently, so obviously it's a joke," he said. "I won't take that too seriously... I don't have an announcement."
A fixture at the top of the Australian order since his 2011 debut, Warner has managed 201 runs in the ongoing Ashes series, averaging 25.12, with a top score of 66.
"I've probably left a few out there, but in saying that, I've played a lot better than what I did last time," Warner added.
"I feel like I'm in a good space, contributed well, and as a batting unit, we're all about partnerships, and I think the partnerships that we've had in key moments of this series have actually worked very well for us as a team."
Warner, 36, knows he is near the end of his test career, and backs Matt Renshaw to succeed him and dominate both test and one-day formats, like Australia great Matthew Hayden did in his playing days.
Australia's captain Pat Cummins also dismisses the "completely made up" suggestion that Warner and Smith would walk away at the Oval, and says they are focused on the task at hand.
"It's a big week," the fast bowler said. "If we win this one and you look back, it's been an incredible tour."
"It's already a fantastic tour, but to go home winning the urn will be phenomenal.
"It's a final thing to tick off the list of titles to win for a few of the guys. You never know if you'll get another chance to do it."
Reuters
