David Warner Retirement: 'Never Gave You An Inch!' Southpaw Recalls Facing Toughest Bowler In International Cricket

David Warner brought an end to his one-day career on Monday (January 1) ahead of Australia's final Test match of the series against Pakistan from January 3. Playing his final international match on the day, the 37-year-old opener recalled facing his toughest bowler.

David Warner, who 111 Tests, 161 ODIs and 99 T20Is, picked up South African pace legend Dale Steyn as the toughest bowler he has faced as he "never gave you a smile and never gave you an inch or a sniff on the field".

"Without doubt, it is Dale Steyn. I go back to the WACA (the first Test of the 2016-17 home series against South Africa) when me and Shaun Marsh had to go out for an ugly 45-minute session. Shaun came down to me and said, 'I cannot pull him so I do not know how we are going to go about facing him'," recalled David Warner while speaking to cricket.com.au.

"He put me on my backside and I think he broke his shoulder as well that game. He is a fierce competitor who swung the ball back into the left-hander, which is similar to Mitchell Starc swinging the ball back into the right-hander at pace. He was always a fiery customer who never gave you a smile and never gave you an inch or a sniff on the field," recalled the batter.

Warner thanked former Australian batter Greg Chappell for showing faith and belief in his talent. The southpaw recalled that during an Australia A tour of Zimbabwe in 2011, Chappell motivated him that scoring a hundred would change his life and the batter went on to score a double ton.

"I think I owe that to Greg Chappell, who showed belief and faith in my talent and ability and the way that I play the game. In Zimbabwe (on an Australia A tour in 2011) I have a memory of him when I was 40 not out at lunchtime and he comes up to me and goes, 'this innings will change your life if you score a hundred'. I went on to get 200 (211) and he told me, 'I told you so'. I look back at that and they're my fondest memories of how I started," said Warner.

"I got given the opportunity to open in one-day cricket through Dom Thornely (with New South Wales) ... out of nowhere after that Zimbabwe series, I am opening the batting for NSW. From there, it has been quite surreal. I would not have ever imagined opening the batting for NSW or anyone when I first started. But to be here after 112 Tests and coming out for the last time, I am still pinching myself," he added.

-With inputs from ANI