David Warner has insisted that he never considered giving up the Perth or Adelaide Tests despite how much his mental state was affected by the painful process of trying to overturn Cricket Australia’s lifetime lead ban.
The conflict between Warner, CA and its independent conduct commissioners, who insisted on a public hearing to review the events of 2018 and whether the starter’s ban should be overturned, came to light on the eve of the Adelaide Test against the West Indies.
David Warner during the Perth Test against the West Indies.Credit:Getty
CA’s insistence on an independent process, despite the fact that its board had the constitutional power to remove a ban that the directors had directly imposed five years ago, led to a lengthy saga that has left Warner and management at odds. They can be expected to speak again in January once the South African series is over.
“Yeah, definitely,” Warner said when asked if the saga finale, albeit with its less-than-preferred denouement, would help him this week. “We reached out back in February, so we have no idea how it got here, and only CA can answer that, and they’ll probably give you the same thing they give everyone else and not really give an answer.
“Before the Perth Test, my mental health probably wasn’t where it needed to be 100 per cent, and that was a challenge. If I had done it my way, we would have worked it all out. So from a CA standpoint, I didn’t really have any support, but my teammates and our team staff were absolutely amazing, and my family and friends.
“They really got me through that period. It’s Christmas, the festive part of the year, I’m in a big headspace right now preparing for this training session, and excited to get out there and play another Boxing Day test, but more importantly, with a series on the line.”
David Warner on Saturday.Credit:fake images
As to whether, in hindsight, it might have been better to leave the Test side for the Perth and Adelaide matches while the ban process took place in the background (the hearing was originally scheduled for December 14), Warner stood firm. .
“I’ve never had that in me to give up or back down, so I feel like I can get through anything, and at the time I was focused on scoring runs and doing the best job possible for the team,” he said. he said.
