Australia successfully retained Ashes urn after the fourth Test of the five-match ENG vs AUS Ashes 2023 Test series ended in a tie. The fourth Test was set for a thrilling finish with hosts England having a great chance of levelling the series 2-2 but rain played spoilsport. The fifth and final Test of Ashes 2023 Test series will be played later this week at The Oval. Ben Stokes-led England will aim to win the series finale to avoid a shambolic home series loss to their arch-nemesis, while Australia will go all out to attain their first-ever series win on English soil since 2001.
Ahead of the fifth Test that starts from Thursday (July 27) onwards, former England skipper Michael Vaughan dropped a bombshell, saying that he heard rumors about legendary Aussie players David Warner and Steve Smith possibly announcing retirement from Test cricket after the end of Ashes 2023 Test series.
"Well it's always the case on a rainy day when the journos get a bit bored, and you start talking to a few. But the whisper was and I have no idea where they're getting this whisper, but that Warner, if he plays at The Oval, it'll probably be his last," said Vaughan to Fox Sports.
"Again I'm not too sure where they've got that. And quite a strong whisper was about Steve Smith that it could be his last time out for Australia at the Oval as well. Again, I've not seen that personally, but it's just the whisper and the gossip.
"It might just be the rain in Manchester that gets people talking, but that was the talk of the press box yesterday that a couple of Australian legends, greats might call it a day at The Oval," the former England skipper added.
Earlier in January 2024, David Warner had revealed his plans of retiring across Australian cricket’s three formats. Smith, regarded as one of the greatest Test batters of all time, is currently in great form having hit centuries against India in the 2023 World Test Championship (WTC) final and at Lord's in Ashes 2023 Test series.