Australian opener David Warner admitted that he isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, as he has extended an open invitation to his critics to join him for a beer and get to know the real him, not just the one they see on TV. The 37-year-old is gearing up for Australia’s final Test match against Pakistan at the SCG and also announced his retirement from ODI cricket.
David Warner had a distinguished career with both the red and white format of the game. He just helped Australia win the ICC World Cup and has rediscovered his Test form. He recently had a disagreement with Mitchell Johnson, and the Australian opener’s image suffered as a result of the ball-tampering scandal in South Africa in 2018.
Speaking to the media, David Warner, who has seen and heard it all, welcomes anybody who has an issue with him to join him for a drink once he retires, after proving his critics wrong when they believed he was too flamboyant to play Tests and believes that real people will support him.
“There are two types of likes and dislikes. There are ones that hide behind the keyboard and there are ones in real life who have a sit down with you, have a beer, and get to know you.
“They are the real people who actually support you, I’ve had a few of them, where I’ve called people out and had a beer with them and they’ve changed their opinion totally. That goes back probably four, five, six years ago.”
“But what you see is what you get. I’m very honest, I’m open, always happy to have a beer with anyone that has a disagreement in public. If you don’t like what you see on TV, reach out I’ll have a beer with you. That’s open to anyone,” David Warner said.
David Warner revealed his decision to retire from the 50-over format of the game on New Year’s Day morning. The left-handed batter has scored 6932 runs at 45.30 with 22 centuries to his name in ODI Cricket and would be too keen on continuing to play for the country in the T20 format of the game.
I’ve Learned That Leadership Isn’t About Wearing Captain’s Or Vice-captain Badges – David Warner
Speaking about his captaincy position in the Australian team, David Warner believes that the entire captaincy situation might have been handled better and that he has moved on and is pleased with the opportunity to captain his sides in the Indian Premier League and ILT20.
“I knew a question like this was going to come up, Look, when I look back at that, it can be handled differently, but I think Nick (Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley) did his ultimate best to put that forward to the board and the decision was made, and I’m happy with that.
“I’ve moved forward from that. I’ve got opportunities to lead in the IPL, to lead in the ILT20. I’ve enjoyed my leadership roles. But for me, in recent years, I’ve learned that leadership (isn’t about) wearing captain’s or vice-captain badges. It’s about being true to yourself, setting an example both on and off the field,” David Warner added.
David Warner has been appointed as the new captain of Dubai Capitals for the upcoming International League T20 (ILT20) tournament in Dubai, which will be held in 2024. He will be playing for the Sydney Thunder in the current BBL13 before flying to Dubai to lead the Capitals in the ILT20 2024 event.
