DAVID Warner has arrived home in Sydney, breaking his silence on Australia’s ball-tampering saga with an apology via social media before promising to talk more in coming days.
Comforted by his wife Candice and intent on getting his two young daughters to bed, Warner stopped briefly to talk to journalists upon his near-midnight arrival at Sydney airport on Thursday.
“As you can understand, it’s been a tough and an emotional time for my wife and the kids,” Warner said when asked if he’d heard about Darren Lehmann’s decision to quit as Australian coach in the continuing fallout from the ball-tampering scandal.
“At this present time, you’ll hear from me in a couple of days. “At the moment, my priority is to get these kids in bed and rest up and let my mind be clear so I can think and talk to you in a couple of days.”
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‘I PANICKED’: Bancroft sorry for ball-tampering cover-up
Earlier on Thursday, the disgraced opener issued a statement on social media while en route back from South Africa after being handed a 12-month ban alongside Steve Smith for his role in the scandal.
He took to Twitter to apologise after he was accused of being the instigator by Cricket Australia after its investigation.
“Mistakes have been made which have damaged cricket,” Warner wrote. “I apologise for my part and take responsibility for it.
“I understand the distress this has caused the sport and its fans. “Its (sic) a stain on the game we all love and I have loved since I was a boy. “I need to take a deep breath and spend time with my family, friends and trusted advisers. You will hear from me in a few days.”
Warner has endured a difficult week since he plotted and instructed Cameron Bancroft to tamper with the ball with sandpaper on the third day of the Cape Town Test against South Africa.
The 31-year-old has been punished most severely by Cricket Australia, with the governing body having also dictated he can never be considered for a leadership position again.
There have also been questions over whether the explosive left-handed opener will play for Australia again, after reports of discontent from teammates during the investigation and in the wake of the incident.
According to CA’s investigation, Warner also failed to “voluntarily report his knowledge of the plan after the match” — something neither Smith or Bancroft were accused of.
Warner on Thursday also lost another major sponsor, after sporting company ASICS dumped both he and Bancroft.
“The decisions and actions taken by David Warner and Cameron Bancroft are not something that ASICS tolerates and are contrary to the values the company stands for,” the company said in a statement.
It comes after Warner was dropped by electronics company LG on Wednesday, and as Australia’s home Test sponsor Magellan also terminated its sponsorship after the affair.
