Australia’s productive left-handed hitter David Warner has a distinguished international resume to date. He won multiple World Championships while playing for Australia, including the T20 World Cup and the ODI World Cup. He was a crucial member in the Australian setup and still is, but his lowest moment came in 2018 when he was suspended for a year on suspicion of tampering with the ball.
The “sandpaper-gate” incident took place in South Africa, and although Warner rejoining the squad a year after the ban was lifted, he has not yet been successful in having the leadership ban overturned. Even after working so hard and demonstrating his value, he has always struggled since he hasn’t been given the opportunity to lead the squad.
During an interview with Herald Sun, Warner was asked if he regretted the event. The Australian superstar said frankly that nobody is “perfect” and that he doesn’t regret “anything” in his life. “I don’t regret anything. You make your own path, right? No one is perfect and you should never judge anyone until you’re perfect. If you try and be this robotic person and individual that wants to please everyone, it’s going to come down anyway, because you can’t please everyone,” he said.
“Whatever has happened in my past, it’s made me the individual I am and has probably got me to where I am. My circle around me is very, very small. They’re the only people I trust and I can always go to them for advice. If I did go back and make changes I wouldn’t be the person I am and what I value. I’ve got no regrets, and I enjoy where I am at the moment,” said Warner.
The Australian batsman stated that, as a result of the 2018 ball-tampering scandal, he had no assistance from Cricket Australia officials throughout his 12-month suspension. He used an analogy to describe his time away from the game in which he compared himself to a “washing machine” that was made to “rinse and recycle.”
“The people that were close to me really looked out for me. Within the organization though, nope. None. Unfortunately, that’s what it was like back then. You were like this washing machine. You’re just rinsed out, recycled, next player comes in. A lot has changed since then and George Bailey and Andrew McDonald are doing a great job now. You expect the organization to actually support you,” he concluded.