In the last three years, I’ll have had almost two years off: Warner

Australia cricketer David Warner has already set his sights on the ICC World Cup 2023 currently scheduled to be played in India. The 33-year-old revealed this is the fittest he has felt in a long time and the enforced breaks have helped his cause. Warner was banned from the game for one year for his part in the infamous Cape Town ball-tampering scandal in 2018. After serving his suspension, he returned to international cricket before sporting activities ceased worldwide due to coronavirus pandemic.

"In the last three years I'll have had almost two years off, depending on when we play cricket again," Warner was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au. "The longevity in your body helps. The get ups of training and playing gets harder as you get older but I haven't felt any fitter in my career than I do now.

"As the legs get older time will tell. At the moment I'm feeling as fit as a fiddle and if I can keep running between wickets as well as I have done, who knows. That (2023 ODI) World Cup is the ultimate goal," he added. Warner also hinted that he might step away from the shortest format after ICC T20 World Cup 2021 in India. He suggested that a lot of talented young cricketers are waiting in the wings for their chance of playing at the highest level.

"If you're playing as good as you can and doing the best you can for the team and you're helping and benefiting them, I think you do want to keep playing as long as you can," Warner said.

"There's back-to-back Twenty20 World Cups, and I started my career with Twenty20 cricket, and I think it's important we've got younger kids coming through and they get a sniff and a chance of playing at this level as well."