David Warner has not hinted at retirement, says Australia head coach Andrew McDonald

Australia's head coach Andrew McDonald has stated that David Warner has not hinted at retirement and has backed the southpaw to continue playing for the national side.

Warner has had a tough few weeks, having struggled to score runs in Australia's recently-concluded home Test series against West Indies, which the hosts won 2-0, and then he dropped a bombshell of withdrawing his appeal against the leadership ban.

Even though Warner managed just 102 runs in four innings across the two Tests in Perth and Adelaide, McDonald said the dip in the opener's form is not because of the controversies he us dealing with off the field.

"He's great at compartmentalising and separating the off-field from the on-field. And I think most of the great champions do that very well. I sense this situation is not different. We respect and understand David's decision to withdraw from that appeals process. He's moved forward, we're moving forward as a team, and we've got a seriously good opponent confronting us at the Gabba," McDonald said in an interview.

With Warner having hinted that he may not play Tests after a year from now to pro-long his limited-overs' career, there have been rumours about the 36-year-old player's awaiting Test retirement.

However, head coach McDonald rubbished all reports and stated that Warner is keen to continue atleast till the World Test Championship (WTC) final.

"He's eager to continue on at this stage. He has not hinted at anything else. "His appetite for the work, in and around training, is still there. He's busy at the crease, and you've seen signs that he is going well. He's just found different ways to get out, and sometimes that can happen.

"We are building towards a World Test Championship final, and he wants to be part of that. So that's a clear focus for us, and we've got South Africa as a part of that. And then on to India," McDonald further added.

Ahead of Australia's first Test against South Africa at The Gabba, Brisbane, McDonald backed Warner to deliver for the Aussies in the three-match series.

"We'll see what happens in the next three Test matches. But at this stage, he's firmly in our thoughts for India. We've seen the more times you tour certain areas of the world, the better you get at it. But it's also the knowledge that he can pass on to the younger players.

"We really value our senior players both on and off the field in terms of that education process. So there's a huge benefit for those players to be touring those areas, and albeit if they don't play, they can still have an impact," said McDonald.

The second and the third Test against the Proteas are scheduled to begin on Dec. 26 and Jan. 4 in Melbourne and Sydney respectively.

In the 2021-23 WTC cycle, Australia and South Africa are currently the top two teams in the table.