DAVID Warner was expected to go down swinging as he looked likely to appeal the 12-month ban handed down to him by Cricket Australia.
He has however decided to follow in the footsteps of former skipper Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft.
Warner tweeted that he had “fully accepted” Cricket Australia’s ban handed down following his involvement in the ball tampering scandal.
The last the public had heard from Warner was following his turbulent press conference on Saturday when he tweeted he would be seeking advice.
The 31-year-old former vice-captain was seen heading to a meeting with advisers on Wednesday where he confirmed he would be closely looking at whether to appeal the penalty.
After being pinned as the mastermind in the entire scandal, Warner was giving serious thought to taking the matter to a hearing but ultimately opted against doing so.
His statement came 90 minutes before the CA imposed 5pm deadline to announce he would not be pursuing the matter.
“I have today let Cricket Australia know that I fully accept the sanctions imposed on me,” said Warner in a statement.
“I am truly sorry for my actions and will now do everything I can to be a better person, teammate and role model.”
CA bosses were reportedly nervous waiting for the decision to fall from Warner with fears over the thought of the matter going to a hearing.
Thankfully they can now breathe easy and shift their focus back to their cultural review within the Australian cricketing team.
With Tim Paine stepping into the captaincy position in place of Steve Smith, the team are on the lookout for a new vice-captain to replace Warner as well as searching for a new coach after Darren Lehmann’s decision to step away from the role.
Warner is banned from all cricket in Australia for 12 months and is expelled from ever holding a leadership position again in Australian cricket.
