"Very, very, very few sportspeople get to go out with a fairytale finish" - Justin Langer ahead of David Warner's final Test

With veteran opener David Warner set to play his final Test next week, former Australian men's team's head coach Justin Langer said that very few sportspersons get to retire on their terms. The West Australian said that he wishes a fairytale ending for every cricketer who retires.

Warner announced in June that he intends to end his Test career during the SCG Test against Pakistan in January 2024. The left-hander has been a constant fixture in the Test side since his debut in 2011 and will retire with well over 8000 runs in Tests, averaging more than 45.

Speaking to cricket.com.au, Langer recalled his retirement in 2007 and acknowledged that it was quite difficult to let go. However, he hopes for Warner to go out with a ton in his final Test or a win for Australia.

"It's so hard to let go. I'd had a career with lots of ups and downs that finished with a fairytale. I'm sure that's what everyone would like to see for Davey as well, or anyone who retires frankly, but it doesn't happen to many people.

"So if Davey can go out with a hundred or even a (three-nil) series win against Pakistan, that would be a nice way for him to finish. Very, very, very few sportspeople get to go out with a fairytale finish."

The 105-Test veteran added that players often feel resentment due to not finishing well:

"A lot of sports people and coaches always have a bit of a chip on their shoulder because very, very few get to go out on their own terms. You're either dropped, or you get injured, or you're sacked so there's always a bit of resentment."

Warner started the Test series with 164 against Pakistan in the first innings at the Optus Stadium in Perth, followed by a duck in the second. He scored a streaky 38 in the first innings of the Boxing Day Test at MCG and perished for a single-figure score in the second.

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"I thought after the Johannesburg Test, I was probably finished" - Justin Langer

Justin Langer

Langer recalled how a short-pitched delivery from Makhaya Ntini during the Johannesburg Test in 2006 hastened his retirement plans. Claiming that the concussion left him in a dark place, the former player added:

"I thought after the Johannesburg Test, I was probably finished, when I got that concussion. I remember my friend (Neil) Noddy Holder, who helped me a lot with my batting, when I got back from Johannesburg he was like the boxing trainer throwing in the towel.

"He said to me 'it's time to retire mate. I can't keep seeing you get hit and hurt like this'. When you get hit like I did in that Test match, it's scary, and from them on, it was no fun facing fast bowling. I don't think there was a ball I faced after that where it wasn't in the back of my mind."

Langer retired from international cricket after the 2006-07 Ashes on home soil.