David Warner emerging from relative obscurity in the infamous gold and grey uniform, opening the batting for his country before he had even played a first class game, feels a world away.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Perhaps so too his days growing up in a housing commission block in Matraville.
Because Wednesday's SCG Test between Australia and Pakistan marks the 112th and final of Warner's career, with the opening batter set to finish as Australia's fifth-highest Test run scorer of all time.
Soon, all that will remain of Warner in international cricket will be the born entertainer we first saw in January 2009.
Because the 37-year-old is also set to walk away from one-day international cricket, using Monday's press conference as his chance to announce his retirement from another format of the game.
Something of an unknown to those who hadn't kept an eye on domestic cricket or the odd Hong Kong Sixes tournament, Warner shot to fame when he blitzed 89 from 43 deliveries in his Twenty20 international debut against South African quicks Dale Steyn and Makhaya Ntini 15 years ago.
He has since amassed 8695 Test runs. But it isn't necessarily the average of 44.58, the high score of 335 not out which eclipsed a mark set by Donald Bradman or any other of Warner's 26 Test centuries which he will be remembered for. It's the way he scored them.
Warner boasts a Test career strike rate of 70.26, scoring at a clip greater than any Australian batter bar Adam Gilchrist. He gets to walk away on his terms - whether Mitchell Johnson likes it or not - having held on long enough to get to Sydney after considering walking away at Lord's last year.
All these years later, how will he be remembered?
"A boy from housing commission having a dream," Warner said.
"I've not always fitted the mould, but I've been authentic and honest. I think that shows you on the field in Test cricket, I've played the exact same way. I'm even playing lap shots like I do in T20 cricket. I'm still trying my best to get better even in this last Test. I'm hungry to score runs.
"It's no different to any other game and I just want to leave behind that you can go out and play the way you want to play. You can play with freedom, you can play reverse sweeps like Joe Root if you want. You've got the ability to do that and you've got to trust and believe in yourself."
He stakes a serious case to be included at the top of the order in Australia's greatest XI across any format.
The two-time 50-over World Cup winner retires as Australia's sixth-highest run scorer in one-day cricket. His 22 one-day centuries for Australia are second only to Ricky Ponting, while Warner boasts the best strike rate and third-highest average.
"It was a decision that I was very, very comfortable with. To win in India, from where we were, was absolutely amazing," Warner said.
"The team, not just under the leadership of Patty [Cummins] but the coach Andrew McDonald himself, everything's just so calm and relaxed inside the team.
"When we lost two games in a row in India, the bond just got stronger with each other and it's not by fluke or by chance that we were able to get to where we were. The heroics of Maxi, the captaincy and the skills and execution of the way that we played against India was phenomenal, and not to dismiss the Kolkata semi-final as well.
"So I'll make that decision today, to retire from those forms, which does allow me to go and play some other leagues around the world and sort of get the one-day team moving forward a little bit.
"I know there's a Champions Trophy coming up. If I'm playing decent cricket in two years' time and I'm around and they need someone, I'm going to be available."
McDonald says "he is probably our greatest ever three-format player", despite Warner's many persistent doubters.
Come next week, you can only see him where it began.
Caden Helmers
Caden Helmers is a sports writer for The Canberra Times.
Caden Helmers is a sports writer for The Canberra Times.
