Follow UsDavid Warner has no more than 12 days left in his international career, but the 37-year-old, who debuted back in 2009, has insisted that he is ‘relieved’ to be bidding adieu to international cricket as it will finally mean him not copping constant abuse — from not just opposition fans, but his own countrymen.
Warner, in the early stages of his career, was always a character that divided opinions, but the Sandpaper Gate scandal in 2018 pretty much established him as one of the biggest villains in Australian cricket history. The infamous ball-tampering saga that was caught on camera, later found out to be architected by Warner, saw the aggressive opener getting slapped with a one-year ban. Along with that, his reputation, which was already not the greatest, took a severe hit.
Six years on, Warner has done exceptionally well to put the scandal behind but the 37-year-old opened up on the mental torture he’s gone through, owing to the constant abuses he’s faced in the past half a decade.
"Coming back since 2018 I've probably ... been the only one that's ever copped a lot of flak. Whether it's people who don't like the Australian cricket team or don't like me, I've always been that person who has copped it," Warner was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au.
"It's fine if they want to do that, but I always feel like I've taken a lot of pressure off a lot of guys as well and I think understandably I've been that person to be able to absorb that.
"But one can only absorb (so much). For me, it's great to go out knowing I'm not going to cop it anymore."
The left-hander admitted that, to some people, he will always be the ultimate face of shame due to what unfolded in Cape Town six years ago. But the legendary opener, at the same time, asserted that he has no doubt that a real cricket tragic will acknowledge him as a cricketer who tried to actively change and revolutionize the sport.
"I think it's going to be inevitable that when people talk about me in 20 or 30 years' time, there will always be that sandpaper scandal,” Warner said.
"But for me, if they're real cricket tragics and they love cricket, (as well as) my closest supporters, they will always see me as that cricketer – someone who tried to change the game.
"Someone who tried to follow in the footsteps of the openers before me and try and score runs at a great tempo and change Test cricket in a way."
Warner is already one of the most decorated players in cricket history, having won two 50-over World Cups, a T20 World Cup and a World Test Championship, apart from being part of several Ashes triumphs. In the next 10 days, he will get to add to this tally further, with Australia five games away from making it two T20WC titles in the span of three years.
He admitted that signing off with a World Cup would be sweet and special on a personal level.
"I think it would be special, most definitely," Warner said, when asked about the prospect of ending his career with a World Cup triumph.
"As a team, you strive for as much success as you can and to do that would be a great accomplishment. It's not just for me, it's about the systems we've had in place, the way the coaches and selectors have structured the whole thing.
"It's been a process of 18-24 months and they've done a fantastic job to one, keep the guys on the park, but two, keep that core group together and I think it will be a fantastic fit for all of us."
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